Mr. Olympia 2020: Top Competitors Who Will Threaten Brandon Curry's Title

Brandon Curry won the Sandow Trophy—and $400,000 in prize money—at last year's Mr. Olympia competition, with his 5'8", 260-pound physique impressing the judges enough to edge him to victory over William Bonac and Hadi Choopan after a winning outing at the Arnold Classic. 

The 38-year-old is back to compete again this year, with the competition set to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. It will mark the first time the event is held outside of Las Vegas since 1999 in order to accommodate fans amid crowd-size restrictions in Nevada because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The venue change wasn't the only consequence for the competition amid the pandemic. Roelly Winklaar, who was tabbed the People's Champion at Mr. Olympia in 2018 and placed fifth last year, tested positive for the coronavirus before traveling to Orlando last week and will not compete, his trainer confirmed to Generation Iron. 

Even though Winklaar won't be part of the lineup this weekend, Curry will have to beat out a slate of the best bodybuilders in the world if he hopes to repeat, including a seven-time Mr. Olympia champion and this year's Arnold Classic champion.

Here's a look at some of the competition he will face, as three former champions compete for the title for the first time since 2013.

Phil Heath

Nick Ut/Associated Press

Phil Heath could have earned a record-tying eighth Mr. Olympia victory in 2019, but he opted out of last year's competition. After a loss at the tournament in 2018, he took a step back from competing to fully recover after surgeries in 2017 and 2018.

During his absence, he launched his supplement brand and spent time with his wife after she recovered from her own surgery, according to Roger Lockridge of BarBend.com. 

But Heath, who is tied with Arnold Schwarzenegger with seven overall wins and became the third athlete to win seven Sandow trophies in a row (2011-17), has qualified to compete for that elusive eighth trophy this weekend.

In a pre-competition press conference on Thursday, Heath said he was more motivated to return to this year's contest following the 2018 loss: 

"That was the best thing that ever happened to me. And then taking a step back—getting recovered and getting to really focus on the mastery of myself as a man ... When I was able to watch the show last year, I was able to find that spark. And that was something that I thought, 'Wow, that's all I needed.'" 

Ronnie Coleman, who holds the Mr. Olympia record alongside Lee Haney with eight wins, doesn't think that Heath, 41, is up to the challenge of unseating Curry after a year away from competition.

"Phil, he's on the decline," Coleman told Muscular Development, (h/t Derek Hall of FitnessVolt.com). "He got beat, so that tells you something. Your body doesn't get newer, it gets older. Nobody beats Father Time. Mentally you're there, but your body isn't. And there's nothing you can do about that."

Heath was confident in his abilities when he arrived in Orlando, taking to Twitter to announce his intentions for the weekend.

William Bonac

Mukhtar Khan/Associated Press

After a pair of runner-up finishes to Curry at the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia last year, Bonac could copy Curry's feat of sweeping the two competitions this year. With Curry not competing at the Arnold Classic, Bonac, who stands 5'8", won the Arnold Classic back in March, and he's in solid shape to win his first Sandow trophy this weekend.

His second-place finish to Curry at Mr. Olympia may have been more contested if the star, known as "The Conquerer," hadn't suffered a severe injury in the weeks leading up to the event.

In an interview with Muscular Development (h/t Hall) after guest posing at Monterrey Pro, Bonac acknowledged that finishing that high came as a surprise, as he was battling a leg injury and had a hernia four weeks before the show that blocked the blood flow to his legs.

"Two weeks prior, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t sit. I barely could do my training, so I guess I shrinked in," he said. "People thought I over diet. I didn’t over diet, I just had an injury and couldn’t train." 

The 38-year-old has been active in sharing his preparation for Mr. Olympia on Instagram, and with his top finish at the Arnold Classic under his belt, he looks ready to bring his best to Las Vegas this weekend.

Hadi Choopan

Rafiq Maqbool/Associated Press

Iranian star Hadi Choopan made his U.S. debut at last year's Mr. Olympia—barely. According to Matthew Magnante of FitnessVolt.com, the star struggled to secure a visa to travel from Iran as a result of the travel ban put in place by president Donald Trump, but he was able to make the trip. 

His trip in 2020 was also in jeopardy, but he landed in Orlando this week. 

After finally receiving his visa ahead of last year's competition—his first Mr. Olympia—Choopan placed third, and his preparation over the last year has led him to earn the support of one of his former competitors.

"I think Hadi brings the whole, complete package," Libyan bodybuilder Kamal Elgargni told Generation Iron. Elgargni, who is the Men's 212 champion and competed against Choopan as an amateur often, said that Choopan's size and dedication to staying in shape will work in his favor this weekend. 

Choopan's performance at Mr. Olympia in 2019 led him to earn the support of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, who is serving as this year's honorary Olympia ambassador. 

"I just thought he was really, really good. Roc [Shabazz] says he was probably too big," said O'Neal—who has been training with Shabazz, a two-time Mr. Olympia athlete—in an interview with president and chief Olympia officer Dan Solomon (at the 7:23 mark). "I don’t know what any of that means. I just look at who has the most muscles."