Hadi vs. Derek
A Story of Two Olympia Champions
By Ron Harris
So Completely different, But So Alike
At first look, the lads who positioned first and second on the 2022 Mr. Olympia, Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford, couldn’t be extra completely different. One speaks Farsi, the language of his native Iran, the opposite English. One is a religious Muslim, the opposite a Christian. The cultures of the USA and Iran are so completely different that they could nearly be completely different planets. However when you get previous these superficial demarcations, patterns of similarity start to emerge. Each males got here to the Open class from the 212 division, and neither would have been thought of viable candidates for the Mr. Olympia title not so way back. Hadi at 5-foot-5 and Derek being simply an inch taller are each what most followers and pundits would label “too brief” to face an opportunity at triumphing over taller bodybuilders. You continue to hear critics and haters expressing this “heightist” prejudice, regardless of the truth that they each beat out males over 6 toes tall and weighing almost 300 kilos final December in Las Vegas. In reality, people who find themselves effectively conscious they’d be canceled in a heartbeat for expressing racist slurs appear to have no drawback labeling shorter bodybuilders “midgets,” as they know there’ll doubtless be no penalties. Hadi and Derek additionally share not solely the identical sponsor however the identical contest-prep coach, Evogen Vitamin proprietor Hany Rambod. With 22 Olympia wins to his credit score, Rambod is extensively thought of the best coach in our sport. He’s identified to be exceedingly selective with who he works with and a person who calls for complete dedication and compliance from his purchasers, which factors to a shared work ethic of epic proportions between Derek and Hadi. Hany is the very best, and he solely works with the perfect.
How They Turned Bodybuilders
Hadi and Derek had been each distinctive athletes in different sports activities previous to discovering bodybuilding. Like each Flex Wheeler and Dorian Yates, Choopan was an avid martial artist. Hadi educated as a Thai kickboxer in his native metropolis of Shiraz. Over time, he turned more and more impressed by posters on the gymnasium partitions of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman. A good friend urged him to strive bodybuilding, as he was all the time naturally muscular. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than his physique morphed into what it was all the time meant to be, a robust physique full of thick, dense, and detailed muscle. Rising up in Indiana, Derek Lunsford was all the time the hardest-working child on the baseball, soccer, and basketball groups, however he lacked the pure athletic expertise to excel in any of these. It wasn’t till he found wrestling in highschool that he discovered one thing the place his efforts paid off.
“It’s not so completely different from bodybuilding,” he explains. “It’s a person sport, and the more durable you’re employed and the extra constant you might be, the higher you may be.”
Lunsford made it to national-level competitors in highschool and earned an athletic scholarship to school. But it surely quickly turned clear to him that he had reached the head. “I knew I wasn’t ok to go to the Olympics, these guys had been simply on one other stage.” At 150 kilos, Derek determined he may as effectively at the very least proceed weight coaching, which he had come to take pleasure in. Although a few folks had identified his potential for bodybuilding, it didn’t register to him that flexing was in his future. That each one modified in the future when he was sitting in his automotive earlier than heading into the gymnasium on a leg day and feeling extra like beginning the automotive again up and heading residence.
“I appeared up ‘Bodybuilding Motivation’ for a type of movies, and the one I watched had Flex Lewis in it,” he tells us. “I actually had no thought who he was, however proper then and there I stated, I need to appear to be that, and I’m going to appear to be that.”
Derek, bursting with newfound function, marched into the gymnasium and introduced to the group of older, bigger males that he was going to be a bodybuilder!
2017: the Yr Each Males Acquired ‘On the Map’
Is it pure coincidence that each males would make their largest leaps ahead in our sport in the identical yr? After a number of main worldwide wins together with two victories on the IFBB World and one other at an Novice Olympia, Hadi lastly accepted his professional card after successful the Diamond Cup in Dubai in 2016. The professional portion of that weekend was simply two days later, and Choopan jumped proper into the combination to see the place he stood. Although he was solely about 200 kilos, Hadi managed to position second to Roelly Winklaar. However 2017 could be his true landmark yr, because it’s when most of us lastly came upon who this man was. Hadi had hoped to compete within the USA and qualify for the 212 Olympia, however his visa was denied. He did the following neatest thing and traveled to Seoul, South Korea shortly after the Olympia to face off towards then six-time champ Flex Lewis in addition to Olympia veterans Jose Raymond and David Henry. The lengthy journey to Asia had taken a toll on Lewis, who was not at his finest. In the meantime, Hadi was full and sliced to ribbons with deep, clear cuts from head to toe. In the long run, Flex gained, however there was an uproar over the choice from Hadi’s loyal legions of followers. Hadi completed that season with one other foray into the Open ranks, putting second to Cedric McMillan, on the time the reigning Arnold Traditional champ, in San Marino, Italy. Now all of us knew who this unimaginable bodybuilder from Iran was.
Heading into the 2017 USA Championships, Derek Lunsford was definitely a favourite to position effectively, since he had been the runner-up within the middleweight class a yr earlier than. This time he had added mass and moved as much as the light-heavyweight division. I used to be there in Las Vegas protecting the competition, and out of what needed to be a pair hundred bodybuilders competing that weekend, Derek stood out to me instantly. At judging, I even went out on a limb and posted a photograph of him predicting that he wouldn’t solely win his class, however the Total title as effectively. Thoughts you, this was earlier than both the heavyweight or tremendous heavyweight courses had even taken the stage. It didn’t matter. I might see that Derek had that uncommon mixture of superb construction, form, mass, and situation that earmarked him already as a professional amongst amateurs. The subsequent night’s outcomes confirmed my forecast.
In a uncommon present of confidence, Lunsford determined to check his mettle and put his newly minted professional card to make use of simply seven days later in Tampa. In a 15-man lineup of 212 professionals, Derek bested all of them and earned his first professional win and Olympia qualification. Many in that scenario would have taken the cautious route and held off on the Olympia till maybe they’d had a further yr to make enhancements, however our man Derek leapt proper into the fireplace towards reigning champ Flex Lewis and established veterans of the 212 division like Jose Raymond, David Henry, and Ahmad Ashkanani. In the long run, Derek walked away with a top-five end at his Olympia debut, firmly cementing his place transferring ahead as a reputable contender.
Two Roads to the Mr. Olympia
Curiously, Hadi Choopan competed within the Open class earlier than he ever stood onstage as a 212, and in reality solely did two contests within the 212 division. Since he had performed so effectively instantly in Open reveals, there was by no means a query of whether or not he would have been higher off remaining within the lighter weight class. And it solely took one look on the Mr. Olympia stage to see that his relative lack of top and body weight had been moot factors when his astounding bundle of mass, density, and situation had been taken into consideration. That very first yr, Choopan took third place behind winner Brandon Curry and runner-up William Bonac and beat out glorious athletes like Dexter Jackson and Roelly Winklaar. The next yr he took fourth place, adopted by one other third, and eventually incomes the game’s final title in 2022.
As for Derek, the 212 was certainly his residence for his first 5 seasons within the professional ranks, with the Olympia title being his objective. In his first two makes an attempt, he was thwarted by the juggernaut that was Flex Lewis as he earned his ultimate two of seven complete wins. With Flex’s retirement following his final victory in 2018, all indicators pointed to Derek as being inheritor to the throne in 2019. Sadly, he ran up towards the veteran Kamal Elgargni, and needed to wait yet one more yr earlier than he might name himself an Olympia champion.
All of us anticipated Derek to defend his title in 2022 and theoretically start his personal dynasty as Lewis had performed, but it surely was not meant to be. In Could of 2022, Lunsford visitor posed on the Pittsburgh Professional present with jaw-dropping new measurement. We’d quickly study that Derek’s low season after being topped the 212 Olympia champion six months prior had been terribly productive, as he now carried 260 kilos in very respectable situation. That visitor posing turned the story of the yr, as followers world wide questioned how on earth Lunsford might presumably take his body weight all the way down to 212 kilos ever once more. After Derek and his coach Hany Rambod conferred over the matter, they determined to take their probabilities with this new mass within the Open Mr. Olympia, and formally requested a particular invitation to compete with out having to high quality. There was in fact some uproar over his “audacity” to ask for the invite, however as all of us now know, it was effectively warranted. Quite a lot of haters snidely predicted Derek could be fortunate to position within the prime 10, however onstage in Las Vegas it was evident that defending champion Huge Ramy was not in competition for the win. As an alternative, it was two former 212 athletes, Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford, who had been battling it out for the dignity of being topped the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
Robust Factors and Weak Factors
Although Hadi is the person who gained that Mr. Olympia contest, it was removed from a dominant victory. Hadi was only one level forward of Derek after Friday evening’s judging, and even on the finals solely outpaced him by three factors on the scorecard. Many watching both in Las Vegas or at residence on the reside stream noticed the competition as being even nearer than the scores would point out, and a powerful contingent felt Lunsford was the rightful victor. Their physiques share lots of the similar attributes: huge buildings, particularly given their brief stature, a great deal of thick muscle mass, and glorious situation. Lunsford has a slight edge in his again growth and poses, whereas Hadi’s legs had been a bit higher, and he definitely outshined Derek by way of muscle separation, element, and maturity. However Lunsford has had almost a yr to treatment these disparities. It’s very clear from his posts through the late summer season/early fall that his legs are considerably larger, and his chest additionally seems fuller (one other space Hadi trumped him on). Solely when he’s absolutely dieted down will we be capable of discern enhancements in muscle maturity. However since that’s primarily an element of extra time spent coaching exhausting and heavy, it’s protected to say he’ll present extra of that high quality this time.
Who will win? Why, the very best man, in fact! Might or not it’s somebody apart from Hadi or Derek? Something is feasible and I’ve seen my share of surprises and upsets through the years on the Mr. Olympia, however I’m assured certainly one of these two males will grow to be the 2023 Mr. Olympia champion.
Hadi’s Mr. Olympia Report
2019 – Third Place
2020 – Fourth Place
2021 – Third Place
2022 – Winner
Hadi’s Contest Historical past
2012 WBPF World Championships
Second, Mild middleweight
2013 IFBB Asian Novice Championships
Traditional Bodybuilding Winner
Middleweight and Total
2014 IFBB World Novice Championships
Middleweight Winner
2015 IFBB World Novice Championships
Mild Heavyweight Winner
2016 IFBB Novice Olympia Russia
Mild Heavyweight and Total
2016 Diamond Cup Dubai
Mild Heavyweight and Total
2016 Sheru Traditional Dubai
Second Place (to Roelly Winklaar)
2017 Korean Grand Prix
Second, 212
2017 San Marino Professional
Second Place
2018 Portugal Professional
212 Winner
2019 Vancouver Professional
Winner
2019 Mr. Olympia
Third Place
2020 Mr. Olympia
Fourth Place
2021 Mr. Olympia
Third Place
2022 Mr. Olympia
Winner
Hadi’s Stats
Start Date: Could eighth, 1986
Hometown: Shiraz, Iran
Present Residence: Shiraz, Iran
Top: 5’5”
Weight: 232-250 kilos
Derek’s Mr. Olympia Report
2022 – Second Place
Derek’s Contest Historical past
2015 Indianapolis Championships
Welterweight Winner and Novice Total
2015 Junior Nationals
Welterweight Winner
2016 Midwest Battle of Champions
Middleweight and Total Champion
2016 Junior Nationals
Middleweight and Total Champion
2016 USA Championships
Second, Middleweights
2017 USA Championships
Mild Heavyweight and Total Champion
2017 IFBB Tampa Professional
212 Winner
2017 212 Olympia
Fifth Place
2018 212 Olympia
Second Place
2019 212 Olympia
Second Place
2020 212 Olympia
Fourth Place
2021 212 Olympia
Winner
2022 Mr. Olympia
Second Place
Derek’s Stats
Start Date: Could 14, 1993
Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana
Present Residence: Tampa, Florida
Top: 5’6”
Weight: 235-265 kilos
Ron Harris acquired his begin within the bodybuilding business through the eight years he labored in Los Angeles as Affiliate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Journal” present within the Nineteen Nineties. Since 1992 he has printed almost 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and health magazines, making him probably the most prolific bodybuilding author ever. Ron has been coaching for the reason that age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives together with his spouse and two youngsters within the Boston space. Fb Instagram
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