Mr. Olympia is an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the IFBB, International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness. This year, it was the 58th edition of Mr. Olymipa which ended with the finale in Las Vegas.
Iranian bodybuilder and veteran competitor Hadi Choopan is crowned Mr. Olympia 2022, defeating Derek Lunsford and Nick Walker.
Mr. Olympia 2022 Highlights
Fans were buzzing in the Zappos Theaters in Las Vegas, to find out who will win the coveted bodybuilding competition. Defending champion Big Ramy Elssbiay faced strong challenges from the likes of Brandon Curry, Hadi Choopan, Nick Walker, Samson Dauda, and Derek Lunsford.
In a surprise turn of events, Big Ramy, the defending champion finished fifth in the event and a new Mr. Olympia was crowned— Hadi Choopan. He is the first Iranian competitor ever to win the Mr. Olympia title.
Who is Hadi Choopan?
Hadi Choopan was born in 1987 in Fars Province, Iran. He was a fixed member of the Iranian Bodybuilding team from 2011-2016. He has competed several times at the IFBB contests and won many titles. He is also called “The Persian Wolf”, due to his origins.
His titles and honors include 105 provincial gold medals (Fars and Tehran Provinces), WBPF World Championships: Gold Medal (2013,2014 and 2015), Mr. Olympia Amateur: Gold Medal (2017), IFBB Portgual Pro: Gold Medal (2018), Asia Grand Prix: Gold Medal (2018), IFBB Vancouver Pro: Gold Medal (2019). He finished third in Mr. Olympia 2021 event.
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Mr. Olympia 2022 Prize Money
Hadi Choopan took home $400,000 in prize money followed by Derek Lunsford earned $150,000 for his win.
Here, take a look at the final results as well as the prize money
Hadi Choopan ($400,000)
Derak Lunsford ($150,000)
Nick Walker ($1000,000)
Brandon Curry ($40,000)
Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay ($30,000)
Hadi Choopan 2022 MR OLYMPIA pic.twitter.com/3sCQpmyCnF
— GENERATION IRON (@GenerationIron) December 18, 2022
Hadi Choopan graces the Olympia 2022 stage. pic.twitter.com/Se59TdZvAf
— GENERATION IRON (@GenerationIron) December 18, 2022
Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney has the Most Mr. Olympia Wins
Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney have the most Mr. Olympia wins. Ronnie and Lee Haney won eight consecutive titles from 1998-2005, and 1984-1991, respectively. While the most known bodybuilder in the history of Mr. Olympia, Arnold Schwarzenegger has 7 titles.
