It was, for a bodybuilder, about as good a 60 seconds as you could possibly imagine. One minute Roelly Winklaar was in a pose down with the other weight class winners at the amateur Arnold Classic to see which one would win the overall title, the IFBB pro card that goes with it and an invitation to compete in the pro show at the same event in 2010.

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The next minute Roelly was announced the winner and as he stood, gaping and trying to take in the enormity of what he had achieved, Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared from the back of the stage to hand him his trophy and offer a few words of congratulations. Wide-eyed and motionless, he didn't know what to say."I could not speak any more," he recalls. "Arnold asked me 'how do you feel?' 'I just said'wonderful'. I could not think of anything else to say."

The moment showed yet again the unique appeal of 'The Arnold'. Whether it's the atmosphere, the presence of Arnold or something they put in the water in Columbus, Ohio, things seem to happen there more than any where else - even the Olympia, where the same names often seem to prevail each year. This is the place where new stars are born and dreams are realized, as Roelly, 32, proved.

He may have been lost for words but the audience had plenty to say about the quality of his physique and his gravity-defying routine, in which he effortlessly backflips his 103 kg frame across the stage.

Even some of America's hard-bitten IFBB pros,who aren't easily impressed by Europeans, were saying he could become a top ten contender at the Mr. Olympia in a couple of years. "Dexter Jackson was happy for me," he says. "He told me if I wanted advice he could
give it. Silvio Samuel and Toney Freeman both told me I could make a good pro. That meant a lot. It was my first time in America and it was amazing; I made more fans than I have in Holland."

Continued