Iranian Choopan runner-up in Mr. Olympia 2023
Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan failed to defend his Mr. Olympia crown, finishing second in the prestigious event of the sport in Orlando, Florida.
A close competition in Saturday’s final callout at the Orange County Convention Center saw American Derek Lunsford – runner-up to the ‘Persian Wolf’ last year – beat Choopan to the Sandow Trophy and walk away with the $400,000 prize money.
An Olympia 212 winner in 2021, Lunsford is the first-ever bodybuilder to secure titles across multiple Olympia divisions.
The American also received the People’s Champion title and belt — an award voted by the fans.
Choopan wrote his name into history books last year when he became the first Iranian to be crowned Mr. Olympia, having finished third and fourth in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Choopan’s second-place finish was still impressive, as his performance clearly impressed the judges despite not being enough to top Lunsford this time around.
Choopan settled for the $175,000 prize, with Nigerian Samson Dauda – a 2023 Arnold Classic winner – standing third in the Men’s Open class.
Dauda also delivered a commendable performance as the 31-year-old improved on a sixth-place finish in 2022.
Following the top three in the standings were the 2019 champion Brandon Curry and Andrew Jacked in fifth place.