Newspapers around the world share news of Aussie former Mr Universe tragedy
New outlets from around the world are reacting to the tragedy surrounding Australian former Mr Universe Calum von Moger at his Victorian home.
The world is watching and waiting for positive news after Australian actor and former Mr Universe Calum von Moger fell from a second story window at a home in Geelong, an hour’s drive from Melbourne.
The 31-year-old three-time Mr Universe winner dubbed Arnold 2.0 was earlier this week in a coma after an incident at the home that left three windows smashed and Mr von Moger fighting for his life.
He reportedly suffered a serious spinal injury that required surgery and is staring down a long road towards recovery, both physically and mentally.
As well wishes flood in from around Australia, the world’s media has focused in on the story.
Articles have appeared in US tabloids such as TMZ and the New York Post, Canadian publications including the Cochrane Times Post, Norway’s largest tabloid newspaper Dagbladet, German newspaper Bild and daily newspapers in Spain including La Razon and La Vanguardia, to name a few.
Bild headlined its story: “Schwarzenegger 2.0 is fighting for his life”.
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The Sun newspaper is among multiple British publications to run stories on the Australian’s fight for life.
The Sun reported on Tuesday that a close friend confirmed Mr von Moger was “awake and recovering” after the scary fall. It followed police responding to reports of a man experiencing a mental health episode about 8am on May 4 at the Victorian home Mr von Moger lives in when he is not in California.
The friend told The Sun “Calum is awake and recovering in hospital after surgery, he is surrounded by family and friends who are supporting him through this.”
Steve Greenberg of New York-based The Vladar Company told news.com.au on Thursday morning Mr von Moger was in a stable condition after having surgery on his spine, and was with family.
The Vladar Company was behind the film Calum von Moger: Unbroken on Netflix and the bodybuilding documentary Generation Iron 2, which featured Mr von Moger.
It is also behind the brand Generation Iron, which is listed as management on Mr von Moger’s website.
News.com.au this week obtained photographs from the home in Geelong where Mr von Moger was injured.
Three windows were damaged at the house shards of glass could be seen in the garden below.
Several windows had been boarded up.
Nearby construction workers said they heard glass smashing, yelling and screaming before multiple police cars and ambulances arrived.
Before Mr von Moger was injured, he posted on social media saying “everyone has a past”.
“We’ve all been through hard times. I admit. I messed up bad many times,” he wrote.
“But I don’t care about dwelling on negative thoughts of the past. All I care about is that I learn from my mistakes and become a better person. I’m trying my hardest to stay strong but I have my days too.”
The fall comes after Mr von Moger’s recent move back to Australia from Los Angeles.
Gerard Spriet, who manages Geelong’s Gym where Mr von Moger once worked, said he was a nice country boy and it was exciting to have watched him have so much success overseas.
“I used to manage a Gold’s Gym in Canada and Calum used to ask me about it all the time. At a very young age he had interest in becoming a bodybuilder and he was quite large at that time,” he said.
He said their team just hoped he was OK.
“We’ve got a handful of people that have worked here with Calum and they’ve all expressed concern and are hoping he’s going to be all right,” Mr Spriet said.
“It’s unfortunate the situation. He worked here when he was probably 20 years of age and he was very impressionable, young and enthusiastic and full of life, and it sounds like some of the roads he has taken are a bit unfortunate.
“We just hope he pulls through and has a full recovery and gets back onto some sort of normal path toward having a healthy life.”
Mr von Moger won the World Fitness Federation junior Mr Universe title in Austria in 2011.
After winning another Mr Universe title in South Korea in 2014, he moved to Los Angeles.
He won his third Mr Universe title in France in 2015.
In 2017, Mr von Moger was in his first film – a bodybuilding documentary called Generation Iron 2.
He then played Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2018 American comedy-drama Bigger.
“I looked up to him my whole life while I was training,” Mr Von Moger said of the Terminator star at the time.
The next year he had his own film on Netflix, titled Calum Von Moger: Unbroken.
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