Persian Wolf close but not cigar
Choopan comes second at Mr. Olympia 2024
Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan placed second at the Mr. Olympia 2024 competition.
The bodybuilding world crowned a first-time Mr. Olympia champion Saturday in Las Vegas as Samson Dauda bested one of the most unpredictable fields in recent memory to secure the career-defining victory.
The win came after several callouts from officials who wanted to take every possible moment to ensure they had made a final decision and selected the right winner.
The 32-year-old was also named the People’s Champion of this year’s event, an award reserved for the athlete receiving the most fan votes.
Accompanying the first-place medal and people’s champion trophy and belt was the largest payday for a winner in event history in the form of an announced $600,000 check.
Hadi Choopan, the runner-up for the second year in a row, received $250,000.
For the Iranian bodybuilder, it was a second disappointing outing at the event. Realistically, the 2022 champion was one or two judges’ decisions away from being a three-time champion and etching his name in the history books as the most decorated champion since the end of Phil Heath’s run of dominance.
Instead, he continued what has become a career of “close but no cigar” moments that also saw him finish third twice (2019, 2021) and fourth (2020).
The 2023 winner, Derek Lunsford, failed to successfully defend his title and finished third in this year’s event.
It marks the third year in a row that the defending champion has not repeated, a testament to the depth of the sport right now and the quality of legitimate contenders to the Mr. Olympia title.
Martin Fitzwater, another fan-favorite in the event, finished in fourth place and provided fans with a look at an athlete who may well be a force in the sport in the coming months and years.