After Storming Off Stage Post Losing to Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford, ‘Persian Wolf’ Hadi Choopan’ Makes a Huge Announcement: “2024 I Am Coming”

The Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend, 2023, wrapped up in Orlando on 5th November in the presence of bodybuilding dignitaries and the fan community. Chris Bumstead continues to reign the Classic Physique division for one more year by securing 5th Sandow in a row. But the controversy erupted once the Men’s Open results were declared.

The former 212 Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford secured his first Sandow trophy in the Open’s division, becoming the first to do so in two different categories at the Mr. Olympia. However, after losing to the new champion, Hadi Choopan walked off the stage, stunning the fans. Now, the Persian Wolf has an announcement to make.

Hadi Choopan will compete at the 2024 Mr. Olympia

The bodybuilding icons train consistently to compete at the Mr. Olympia. As the competition nears, the excitement and suspense build up around the most popular event of the show, the Men’s Open. After multiple setbacks, the Persian Wolf, Hadi Choopan, was crowned as the Mr. Olympia in 2022, dethroning the reigning champion, Big Ramy.

But sadly, the Choopan has ended his reign after Lunsford claimed the title. However, the Persian Wolf’s fans could breathe a sense of relief after the 36-year-old announced that he would compete in the upcoming Super Bowl of bodybuilding. Sharing the news in an Instagram story with a Mr. Olympia logo, Choopan wrote, “2024 I am coming.” He tagged coach Hany Rambod in the post.

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Choopan has consistently been among the top five Mr. Olympia athletes since 2019. But his loss this year left him devastated as he brought much better conditioning to the stage than last year, according to experts. Hadi Choopan losing the game irked bodybuilding icons like Samir Bannout and Kai Greene.

Former Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout is upset with the Men’s Open result

While many bodybuilding experts believed that Derek Lunsford would be the Mr. Olympia champion this year, they were stunned after witnessing Hadi Choopan’s physique at the 2023 Mr. Olympia. His conditioning was top-notch and left the fans spellbound, but still, Lunsford was felicitated with Sandow, given his back. 

Speaking about Lunsford, Bannout stated, “The guy’s got the body, and he improved his back. But when I came here, I was in a state of shock. Because I didn’t expect Hadi to make such a great improvement.” The 1983 Mr. Olympia was shocked after Choopan lost the title, given that others were a bit off on stage. The uncrowned Mr. Olympia Kai Greene was left “shocked” by the Persian Wolf’s defeat.

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Given the neck-to-neck competition between Lunsford and Choopan, many agree that it was a tough call for judges, and they chose proportion over extreme conditioning this time. What were your thoughts on the 2023 Mr. Olympia results? Let us know in the comments below.