Hadi Choopan walked off stage after Derek Lunsford was declared the winner of the 2023 Mr. Olympia. This has led to an unholy amount of debate regarding his attitude and whether it was warranted. Mr. Olympia certainly keeps itself as a stage of utmost significance and dreams of several aspiring bodybuilders. When they are unable to attain their desired outcomes, they react in a way that leaves the world stunned for a while. It’s a competitive sport and things can go haywire in the heat of the moment.

So, it’s not really surprising to see the 36-year-old Persian Wolf not only disregard the results but disagree with the turn of events. But, if you thought this was an isolated event, you haven’t been paying attention.

Hadi Choopan at 2023 Mr. Olympia stage

The rivalry between Lunsford and Choopan for the Mr. Olympia title has been on for a few years now. In fact, last year both bodybuilders were in a similar position where the difference between the winner and loser was merely visible to normal audiences. However, when the 2022 Mr. Olympia was not able to secure his title this year, he did something very unpredictable. Unpredictable, but not unique.

See when Bob Chick asked every bodybuilder to come up on the stage and pose once more, even after the declaration of this year’s Mr. Olympia, things began to go really south. Silver medalist, Hadi Choopan, enraged with the results of the year, stormed out of the stage in an instant. The entire decorum of the contest was thus destroyed leaving behind questions in the audiences’ minds about whether the winner and runner-up are rightly chosen or not.

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But like its mentioned above, Choopan isn’t the first guy to raise a ruckus in the building when things didn’t go his way. Back in the day, Ronnie Coleman had one of his greatest moments soiled when one of his rivals did something similar in 1999.

Bodybuilding legend left after Ronnie Coleman won in 1999

The Sultan of Symmetry is still more famously known as the uncrowned Mr. Olympia. Kenneth Flex Wheeler, who is world famous for his symmetry and unattainable split poses has never won a Mr. Olympia title in his life. Around the time Ronnie Coleman started his 8-year-long rule, his most formidable opponent was Flex Wheeler. Milos Sarcev thus relates Choopan’s incident with Wheelers in an interview. When he was asked about his opinions about Hadi Choopan, he stated, “So was Flex Wheeler when Ronnie Coleman won, you know… Arguably he could have been 4 time Olympia by now.”

In 1999 Flex Wheeler was announced as the runner-up and and winner of a silver medal in Mr. Olympia. That very year, Ronnie Coleman maintained his winning streak as the winner for two times straight. However, when Wheeler was presented with the Silver medal, he did something exactly similar to Choopan’s actions. Wheeler pulled out the silver medal instantly and aggressively. Along with it, he roughly handled the certificates of the same.

Furthermore, Wheeler was also reported to mouth that he does not accept the second place. He continued to point at the medal and deny it. Moreover, he has also disagreed with the decision. In a snippet, he was seen saying, “I’m first”.

The frustration of not winning: Choopan and Wheeler

When bodybuilders spend all their time and effort working with only one goal in mind – winning Mr. Olympia – and not attaining it in the end they undoubtedly feel bad. However, when these bodybuilders understand their own worth and how they are accepted by the community, their entire confidence and beliefs stumble after the results don’t align with their reality. Under these circumstances, both Flex Wheeler and Hadi Choopan had gone through a similar set of emotions.

Choopan’s physique development as well as the boost in his confidence was fueled by many predictions of this year’s Mr. Olympia. When the results came in, Derek Lunsford returned to take back his former glory. The turn of events made Choopan react in such a way that caught everyone’s attention. Flex Wheeler’s mouthing of him being first and not Ronnie Coleman reflected a similar psychological stubbornness as well.

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Every contest would have its own sets of satisfied and excited winners as well as the displeased bodybuilders who could not make it to the top as per their own expectations. What do you think is the primary reason for such an extreme sense of outburst where the bodybuilders don’t even accept their honoring medals? Let us know about your insights on the whole matter in the comments below.

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