Way before Mr. Olympia 2023’s official commencement, several bodybuilding experts had been listing down their predictions about the possible winners of this season’s event. While some of them pinpointed the winners in advance, the rest found themselves being disappointed with the results and their guesses. For the Classic Physique division in Mr. Olympia, most of the experts marked the then 4-time Mr. Olympia in Classic Physique, Chris Bumstead to have the highest possibility to win.

Chris Bumstead is more popularly known as CBum. Although he started his career as early as 19, he did not start his profession in bodybuilding on his own accord. It was his sister’s boyfriend – now his brother-in-law – who introduced him to the sport of bodybuilding and believed in him like nobody else. Now, Valliere has revealed how confident he was of CBum winning the Classic Physique title.

Iain Valliere’s unfathomable belief about Chris Bumstead’s capabilities

One of the latest YouTube videos uploaded by Fouad Abiad Media featured Fouad Abiad, Paul Lauzo, Mike Van Wyck, and Iain Valliere. In the video when Valliere was discussing the recent exciting elements of Mr. Olympia that he thoroughly found fascinating, he brought up how Chris Bumstead’s exhibition has been on that list. But even while describing, CBum’s former coach stated, “To be honest, I knew he was gonna win. like I was 99.999% confident even before the show happened that he was going to win.”

Iain Valliere also talked about how this year’s Mr. Olympia has been a totally different experience for him and regarding his perception of CBum. Given the fact that ever since Bumstead started his bodybuilding journey, Valliere has always been his mentor guide and official coach. Other than that, Valliere was also participating in Mr. Olympia. However, after Valliere’s retirement, Hany Rambod took over as CBum’s coach. Thus, for the first time, he got the opportunity to look at the show from the audience’s perspective.

READ MORE: Eating a Burger Brings Unfathomable Joy to ?Epitome of Human Physique? Chris Bumstead: ?Been Waiting Years for This Moment?

Before venturing into the world of muscle building, Chris Bumstead was studying to become a physiotherapist. However, he could never wrap his mind around it. How did his sudden jump into the world of bodybuilding happen?

Chris Bumstead’s introduction to bodybuilding

At the tender age of only 14, CBum started weightlifting. However, bodybuilding was only a hobby at that time. Through a range of varying sports like Soccer, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey, CBum slowly built his athletic interests. However, by the time he met his sister’s boyfriend, Iain Valliere, the latter could recognize the potential in him at once. Thus by the time Bumstead turned 19, Valliere started coaching him. Two years later, Bumstead won his IFBB Pro card and became a professional bodybuilder.

In the world of bodybuilding, several memorable duos have made their names for their rivalries. Yet the number of allies within the community does not disappoint, either. The bond that CBum and Iain Valliere share is a perfect example of the bond that bodybuilders have. That is exactly why listening to the latter’s perspective after his separation from CBum’s professional life certainly holds vital importance.

Watch this Story: Chris Bumstead Makes a Shocking Statement About His Mentor and Brother-in-Law Despite Lauding His Early Retirement Decision