Gustavo Badell

Gustavo Badell (1972 to 2023), nicknamed The Freakin' Rican, was a Venezuelan professional bodybuilder in the International Federation of BodyBuilders. Born in Maracaibo, he moved to Puerto Rico at about 22, having started lifting at fifteen to gain size for boxing, and won his first contest, the 1991 Junior Caribbean Championships, at nineteen. He turned professional by winning the 1997 Caribbean Championships and made his Mr. Olympia debut in 2002 in 24th place, then reached third in 2004, the largest jump between two Olympia appearances of all time, and third again in 2005, when he also won the Challenge Round. He appeared on the cover of Flex and in MuscleTech advertisements, and he died of a stroke in Venezuela in July 2023 at the age of 51.