Mr. Olympia 2023: Dates, Schedule, Prize Money, Top Bodybuilders and Predictions
Can Hadi Choopan of Iran make it two in a row at the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest?
It is a question that will be on the minds of all bodybuilding fans ahead of Saturday's finals.
Choopan overcame years of close calls and watching as his dreams were dashed on the grandest stage known to his sport a year ago, besting one of the most impressive fields in recent Mr. Olympia history.
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This year, there are noticeable absentees but Choopan will still have his hands full with a former champion and a group of competitors seeking to win their first title, all while establishing themselves as a force in the industry.
Date: Saturday, November 4
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Place: Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida
Prize Money: $1.6 million
Choopan is the defending champion but will face stiff competition from some of the same bodybuilders he defeated a year ago to claim his first title.
Last year's runner-up, Derek Lunsford, will seek to shake off last year's runner-up performance and has been putting in the work to do so. But not too much.
"You do what's necessary each day. You don't do extra things that can be counterproductive, and you don't do less than you need to do or less than you should. You need to do exactly what is going to elicit the best result each and every day," he said ahead of the event.
He has also worked out alongside Choopan as they attempt to push each other, competition fueling them in the gym.
Not joining Choopan and Lunsford is 2022 third-place finisher Nick Walker, who suffered a torn hamstring during training and was forced to pull out of the competition.
"It's with a heavy heart that I won't be stepping on stage this year due to unforeseen and unfortunate reasons that remind us we're only human."
2019 Mr. Olympia Brandon Curry returns to a stage he is very familiar with.
He finished second in both 2020 and '21 before dropping to fourth last year. Determined to put that disappointing outcome behind him and get back to championship form, the 41-year-old competitor is a veteran of the event dating back to 2011.
Can he overcome Choopan and Lunsford, not to mention the United Kingdom's Samson Dauda and Iran's Behrooz Tabani?
Probably not.
This year feels like a two-man race, with Choopan and Lunsford battling it out for the top spot in bodybuilding. Last year, Choopan cleared the one hurdle that had defined his career and finally took home the top prize.
Lunsford has built momentum in recent years and in 2023, will clear his own hurdle en route to his first Mr. Olympia title.
Prediction: Lunsford takes first place
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