For a decade, no bodybuilder on earth made a crowd gasp quite like Roelly Winklaar. “The Dutch Beast” from Curaçao carried some of the biggest arms the sport has ever seen — and at the 2018 Mr. Olympia, he turned that freak factor into a third-place finish and the first People’s Champion award in Olympia history. 💪
His road there was anything but smooth: a childhood move from Curaçao to Rotterdam, a near-fatal car crash, years of grinding under coach Sibil “Grandma” Peeters, and a late-career peak built at Oxygen Gym in Kuwait.
This is his complete, verified story — 10 pro wins, 10 Mr. Olympia appearances, the shoulder injury that stopped him, and why, in 2026, he still refuses to say the word “retired.”
⚡ Quick Facts
| Full Name | Egberton Rulove “Roelly” Etienne-Winklaar |
| Nickname | The Dutch Beast (also “The Beast”) |
| Born | June 22, 1977 — Curaçao |
| Nationality | Curaçaoan / Dutch — raised in Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Contest Weight | Reported around 295 lb (134 kg) in his prime years |
| Division | IFBB Pro League Men’s Open Bodybuilding |
| Pro Card | 2009 NPC Arnold Amateur — overall winner |
| Pro Wins | 10 |
| Best Mr. Olympia | 3rd (2018) — plus the inaugural People’s Champion award |
| Mr. Olympia Appearances | 10 (2010, 2012–2019, 2021) |
| Early Coach | Sibil “Grandma” Peeters |
| @roellywinklaar | |
| Status | Inactive since 2021 — not officially retired |
🌴 Curaçao Roots, Rotterdam Childhood
Egberton Rulove Etienne-Winklaar was born on June 22, 1977, in Curaçao, the Dutch Caribbean island. His childhood was marked by loss early: his father died in a motorcycle accident when Roelly was four years old.
A year later his mother moved the family to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where he grew up. He enjoyed bodybuilding from a young age and competed in Dutch amateur shows, but for years it was a passion, not a plan.
The plan arrived the hard way. A near-fatal car crash in 2004 — at 27 — forced him to confront how much potential he was wasting, and he set himself one goal: turn professional.
👵 “Grandma” and the Road to the Pro Card
To get there, Winklaar placed himself under Sibil Peeters — the veteran Dutch coach everyone in the sport calls “Grandma.” Under her eye he rebuilt his training from the ground up, learning to get the most out of every movement.
The work took five years. Then, in 2009, he travelled to Columbus and won the NPC Arnold Amateur overall title, earning his IFBB pro card in the process. 🏆
His younger brother Quincy followed him into the sport and also became an IFBB pro — bodybuilding, it turned out, ran in the family.
🚀 The Rookie Who Won New York (2010–2012)
Winklaar’s pro debut came at the 2010 Arnold Classic, where he placed a strong 7th in a deep field. Weeks later he was 3rd at the Australia Pro Grand Prix — and then came the result that announced him.
At the 2010 New York Pro, the rookie beat established stars to take his first professional title. His Olympia debut followed that autumn: 14th place, and a long education ahead of him.
Through 2011 he knocked on the door — runner-up at both the British Grand Prix and the Mr. Europe Grand Prix — and in 2012 he added his second pro win at the Nordic Pro, alongside a 3rd at the Arnold Classic Europe and 12th at his second Olympia.
🏆 The Working Years: Wins on Two Continents (2013–2017)
If one word defined Winklaar’s prime, it was “busy.” He competed constantly, and the wins kept coming on both sides of the Atlantic.
He won the Wings of Strength Chicago Pro in both 2013 and 2014, added a second Nordic Pro title in 2014, and took the Sheru Classic Dubai in 2016. His Olympia placings in those years — 7th, 12th, 7th, 6th, 6th — kept him permanently in the world’s top group.
In 2017 he beat a field that included Dexter Jackson and William Bonac to win the EVLS Prague Pro. On this site’s list of Arnold Classic winners, one name is missing by design — Roelly never won in Columbus — but by 2017, a bigger stage was calling.
🔥 2018: The Year of the Beast
Everything came together in 2018. Training camps at the famous Oxygen Gym in Kuwait had rebuilt Winklaar’s physique — bigger, but with a tighter midsection than fans had ever seen from him.
In March he won the Arnold Classic Australia, the biggest title of his career. Then, in Las Vegas, came the night that defined him.
At the 2018 Mr. Olympia, Winklaar placed 3rd — behind only winner Shawn Rhoden and seven-time champion Phil Heath, and ahead of William Bonac and Big Ramy. The fans voted him the inaugural People’s Champion, a brand-new award created for the crowd’s favourite. 🏅
He closed the year by winning the EVLS Prague Pro for a second straight time. At 41, the Beast was at his absolute peak.
📉 The Last Campaigns (2019–2021)
Winklaar stayed at the top in 2019: 5th at the Arnold Classic in Ohio, 3rd at the Arnold Classic Australia, 5th at the Mr. Olympia, and a win at the Yamamoto Cup — his tenth professional title.
Then the story turned. In 2020 he underwent major surgery on his left shoulder — a serious rotator cuff tear that took five hours to repair. That December, travelling to the Mr. Olympia, he tested positive for COVID-19 in Turkey and was forced to withdraw from the show entirely.
He returned for one more campaign in 2021: 5th at the Chicago Pro, runner-up at both the Europa Pro and the Yamamoto Cup, 11th at his tenth Mr. Olympia, and 9th at the Romania Muscle Fest Pro. It was clear he was no longer the man of 2018 — by his own later admission, he had not eaten or trained properly through that season.
The Romania show, in November 2021, was the last time Roelly Winklaar stepped on a competitive stage.
📍 Roelly Winklaar in 2026: Not Retired — Just Waiting
Winklaar has now been away from the stage for five years, and the honest summary is this: he is inactive, but he has never announced his retirement.
In podcast interviews in 2023 and again in January 2025, he said the same thing in almost the same words: “I don’t want to retire.” His condition for any comeback is strict — he will only return if he can beat his own best look, and the repaired shoulder has made that a slow fight.
Through 2025 and 2026 he has kept training and kept his famous arms — physique updates around his 48th birthday drew the usual stunned reaction — and in 2026 he was still discussing his career on bodybuilding podcasts, from the Oxygen Gym years to life after competition. But no comeback show has been announced. 🎯
2026 verdict: a 49-year-old great in limbo — officially unretired, realistically a long shot to return, and remembered either way as one of the most spectacular mass monsters the Open division ever produced.
On this site’s all-time ranking he earns his place among the top 15 bodybuilders in history conversation for one reason few can match: for one night in 2018, much of the crowd believed the Beast should have won the whole thing.
📊 Contest Record
| Year | Show | Placing |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | NPC Arnold Amateur | 1st 🏆 Pro card |
| 2010 | Arnold Classic | 7th |
| 2010 | Australia Pro Grand Prix | 3rd |
| 2010 | New York Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2010 | Mr. Olympia | 14th |
| 2011 | Arnold Classic | 8th |
| 2011 | British Grand Prix | 2nd |
| 2011 | Mr. Europe Grand Prix | 2nd |
| 2011 | FIBO Power Pro | 3rd |
| 2011 | New York Pro | 9th |
| 2012 | Europa Super Show, Dallas | 4th |
| 2012 | Tampa Pro | 4th |
| 2012 | Nordic Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2012 | British Grand Prix | 6th |
| 2012 | Sheru Classic | 4th |
| 2012 | Arnold Classic Europe | 3rd |
| 2012 | Prague Pro | 8th |
| 2012 | Mr. Olympia | 12th |
| 2013 | Wings of Strength Chicago Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2013 | Mr. Olympia | 7th |
| 2013 | Arnold Classic Europe | 6th |
| 2014 | Wings of Strength Chicago Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2014 | Nordic Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2014 | Dubai Pro | 3rd |
| 2014 | San Marino Pro | 4th |
| 2014 | Prague Pro | 4th |
| 2014 | Arnold Classic Europe | 5th |
| 2014 | Mr. Olympia | 12th |
| 2015 | Arnold Classic | 6th |
| 2015 | Arnold Classic Australia | 6th |
| 2015 | Nordic Pro | 2nd |
| 2015 | EVLS Prague Pro | 6th |
| 2015 | Arnold Classic Europe | 5th |
| 2015 | Mr. Olympia | 7th |
| 2016 | New York Pro | 2nd |
| 2016 | Mr. Olympia | 6th |
| 2016 | Arnold Classic Europe | 5th |
| 2016 | Prague Pro | 5th |
| 2016 | Sheru Classic Dubai | 1st 🏆 |
| 2017 | Arnold Classic Europe | 4th |
| 2017 | EVLS Prague Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2017 | Mr. Olympia | 6th |
| 2018 | Arnold Classic | 4th |
| 2018 | Arnold Classic Australia | 1st 🏆 |
| 2018 | Mr. Olympia | 3rd 🥉 + People’s Champion |
| 2018 | EVLS Prague Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2019 | Arnold Classic | 5th |
| 2019 | Arnold Classic Australia | 3rd |
| 2019 | Mr. Olympia | 5th |
| 2019 | Yamamoto Cup Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2020 | Mr. Olympia | Withdrew (COVID-19) |
| 2021 | Chicago Pro | 5th |
| 2021 | Europa Pro | 2nd |
| 2021 | Yamamoto Cup | 2nd |
| 2021 | Mr. Olympia | 11th |
| 2021 | Romania Muscle Fest Pro | 9th — last show |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is Roelly Winklaar’s best Mr. Olympia result?
Third place in 2018, behind Shawn Rhoden and Phil Heath — and the fans also voted him the first-ever Olympia People’s Champion that weekend. He competed at 10 Mr. Olympias in total.
How many pro shows did Roelly Winklaar win?
Ten verified professional titles: the New York Pro (2010), the Nordic Pro (2012 and 2014), the Chicago Pro (2013 and 2014), the Sheru Classic Dubai (2016), the Prague Pro (2017 and 2018), the Arnold Classic Australia (2018) and the Yamamoto Cup (2019).
Where is Roelly Winklaar from?
He was born in Curaçao on June 22, 1977, and moved with his family to Rotterdam in the Netherlands at the age of five. He is Curaçaoan-Dutch, and his “Dutch Beast” nickname comes from his Dutch base.
Why did Roelly Winklaar stop competing?
Injuries and timing. He had major rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder in 2020, then missed the 2020 Olympia after testing positive for COVID-19. His 2021 comeback season fell short of his best, and he has not competed since the Romania Muscle Fest Pro in November 2021.
Is Roelly Winklaar retired?
Not officially. In interviews in 2023 and January 2025 he said “I don’t want to retire” and left the door open to a comeback — but only if he can beat his previous best shape. As of 2026, no return has been announced.
Who coached Roelly Winklaar?
His early career was guided by Dutch coach Sibil Peeters, known throughout bodybuilding as “Grandma.” His late-career peak was built with training camps at Oxygen Gym in Kuwait, the famous hardcore gym behind several top Open careers.
🏁 Final Word
Roelly Winklaar never won the Sandow, and his career does not need it to be remarkable. A kid from Curaçao, rebuilt after a car crash that nearly killed him, became the most awe-inspiring physical specimen of his era — and, for one weekend in 2018, the people’s choice as the best bodybuilder on the planet.
Whether or not the comeback ever happens, the images endure: the arms, the traps, the roar of a crowd that had never seen anything quite like the Dutch Beast. 🦁