{"id":3906,"date":"2026-07-07T12:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3906"},"modified":"2026-07-07T12:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T12:09:07","slug":"bodybuilding-champ-and-ex-mr-universe-dies-at-57-legend-of-our-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3906","title":{"rendered":"Bodybuilding champ and ex Mr. Universe dies at 57: ‘Legend of our sport’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A bodybuilding champion and former Mr. Universe has died at 57 \u2014 with his rivals describing him as a \u201clegend\u201d of the sport.<\/p>\n

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Six-time Spanish bodybuilding champion Jos\u00e9 Antonio Hernandez Torres, who was known affectionately as \u201cJocha,\u201d died in Tenerife just a month before his 58th birthday, Spanish outlet Revista el Verdano reported, without giving a cause of death.<\/p>\n

The hulking athlete won the Mr. Universe in 2004 during a career spanning more than four decades.<\/p>\n

He opened the Jocha fitness gym in Tenerife after retiring from competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith over 40 years\u2019 experience in sport, as well as his entrepreneurial endeavours with his famous gym, we have lost the most internationally decorated sportsman in the history of La Verdellada-Barrio Nuevo,\u201d the local neighborhood association said online, without revealing a cause of death.<\/p>\n

Fellow strongman Jose Maria Garcia described Jocha as a \u201clegend of our sport\u201d in an online tribute.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOne of the first Spaniards who, in the 1980s, was on a par with the world\u2019s best, representing our country at various international events. We will always admire him,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alejandro Mena, a former bodybuilder turned cop, finished runner-up to Jocha in the 1989 Spanish championships.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBeyond the results, I will always remember him as a wonderful person, an excellent friend and a role model for all of us who love bodybuilding,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019His humility, camaraderie and passion for this sport left an indelible mark on all of us who were lucky enough to know him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A bodybuilding champion and former Mr. Universe has died at 57 — with his rivals describing him as a “legend” of the sport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBodybuilding champ and ex Mr. Universe dies at 57: 'Legend of our sport' - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3906\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bodybuilding champ and ex Mr. Universe dies at 57: 'Legend of our sport' - 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