Saturday night at the Olympia is the biggest night of the year for bodybuilding fans, and the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada provided plenty of memories that will last long after the sold-out crowd returns. . History was made on several levels in several divisions, Three of the four titles changed hands tonight, which is far from usual in bodybuilding. Here’s a quick rundown of how all the action on Saturday night unfolded.
The new Mr. Olympia
Bodybuilding has a new world champion, and his name is Hadi Choupan! Choopan won the 58e Mr. Olympia, and is the 17e man of history to win the title. Along with the Sandow Trophy and gold medal, he won $400,000 for his efforts.
The final was down to five men – Choopan, Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker, Brandon Curry and now former champion Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay. It is also the order of the top five of the evening. Both former Olympia champions finished bottom of the top five while Walker, Lunsford and Choopan seemingly ushered in a new generation into the sport’s elite.
Walker was also announced as the 2022 People’s Champion, earning him a championship belt. Among the audience were actor Michael Jai White and magician Criss Angel. Along with the rest of the sold-out crowd, they were shocked by the announcement of the winner.
Mr. Olympia top 10
Winner: Hadi Choopan
Finalist: Derek Lunsford
3: Nick Walker
4: Brandon curry
5: Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
6: Samson Dauda
7: Labrador Hunter
8: AndrewJack
9: Guillaume Bonac
ten: Raphael Brandao
New bikini champ too
Choopan wasn’t the only one to win a trophy for the first time. The new Ms. Bikini Olympia is Maureen Blanquisco, who pulled off the surprise of the weekend by beating 2021 winner Jennifer Dorie. Three-time winner Ashley Kaltwasser finished this show in third place. It’s the second win of 2022 for Blanquisco, who also won the Boston Pro in March.
New male physique champion too
The Men’s Physique field was the largest in history with 68 men on the field. As many expected, the bottom two in the standings were three-time defending Men’s Physique Olympia champions Brandon Hendrickson and Erin Banks. To the surprise of the crowd, Banks celebrated the moment as the new champion, and he is now the fifth champion since this contest began in 2013.
C-Bum Wins Fourth Physique Olympia Classic Title
The only champion of the night to successfully defend his title was Chris Bumstead, who held off a strong challenge from Ramon Rocha Querioz to claim number four, and he pledged to aim for at least number five if not higher. Rumors had swirled that Bumstead might retire, but he clearly denied this during his victory speech.
Other moments that stood out during the evening included Criss Angel’s announcement of a charity in her son’s name. Olympia owner Jake Wood and IFBB Pro League president Jim Manion each donated $25,000 to the cause. And Wheelchair Olympia winner Harold Kelley, who claimed his fifth title on Saturday afternoon, also posed for the audience to celebrate his win earlier in the day.
