The 58th Mr. Olympia contest was one of the biggest ever, literally: Over 30 men wanted to emerge victorious. However, only two bodybuilders in the lineup — Brandon Curry and Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay — knew how it felt to win the O.
Elssbiay sought to win his third in a row, while Curry wanted to be the second man in history to win the title back after losing it in 2020 (Jay Cutler was the first to regain the Sandow trophy in 2009). The two-night contest started with individual introductions for all 30 entrants on Friday, Dec. 17, 2022, at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas, NV. Here’s what happened at pre-judging.
[Related: 2022 Mr. Olympia Results — Live Updates & Coverage]
The theater was filled with fans, but head judge Steve Weinberger was only concerned with the men in front of him. Weinberger is known for putting the athletes through their poses, judging critically, to make the right decision.
2022 Men’s Olympia Pre-Judging
Comparison 1
- Hadi Choopan
- Andrew Jacked
- Tonio Burton
- James Hollingshead
- Vladyslav Sukhoruchko
- Antoine Vaillant
Comparison 2
- Derek Lunsford
- William Bonac
- Vitor Boff
- Patrick Johnson
- Andrea Presti
- Charles Griffen
Comparison 3
- Iain Valliere
- Nick Walker
- Michael Krizanek
- Justin Rodriguez
- Mohamed Shaaban
- Akim Williams
Comparison 4
- Theo Leguerrier
- Brandon Curry
- Hunter Labrada
- Rafael Brandao
- Joel Thomas
- Mohammad Alnsoor
Comparison 5
- Blessing Awodibu
- Andrea Muzi
- Samson Dauda
- Mamdouh Elssbiay
From those comparisons, the callouts were as follows:
Callout 1
- Hadi Choopan
- Nick Walker
- Derek Lunsford
- Samson Dauda
- Mamdouh Elssbiay
- Brandon Curry
Callout 2
- Andrew Jacked
- William Bonac
- Iain Valliere
- Hunter Labrada
- Michael Krizanek
- Rafael Brandao
Callout 3
- James Hollingshead
- Antoine Vaillant
- Patrick Johnson
- Charles Griffen
- Justin Rodriguez
- Akim Williams
Callout 4
- Blessing Awodibu
- Vladyslav Sukhoruchko
- Tonio Burton
- Mohamed Shaaban
- Joel Thomas
- Mohammad Alnsoor
Callout 5
- Andrea Presti
- Vitor Boff
- Theo Leguerrier
- Andrea Muzi
Callout 6
- William Bonac
- Hunter Labrada
- Samson Dauda
- Andrew Jacked
Callout 7
- Samson Dauda
- Nick Walker
- Hadi Choopan
- Mamdouh Elssbiay
- Derek Lunsford
- Brandon Curry
Choopan and Curry started in the center of the final callout. Weinberger moved them around, and the men had to be reminded to stand on the line for the stage before the round ended.
Elssbiay was never in the center for the his initial callout, which also included Samson Dauda, Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, Curry, Elssbiay, and Nick Walker.
Their on-stage orientation shifted, but it was clear that these six athletes were the ones competing for the O going into Saturday finals. Notably, Elssbiay posed on the fringes of the final callout.
[Related: Francielle Mattos Goes Back-to-Back, Wins 2022 Wellness Olympia]
The 2022 Olympia Schedule
Below is the schedule for the rest of the 2022 Olympia weekend. The divisions below are listed in the same order as they appear on the official schedule.
The start times for each division’s pre-judging and finals have not been announced. The morning sessions and evening sessions on Dec. 16, 2022, begin at 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., respectively. The morning and evening sessions on Dec. 17, 2022, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., respectively.
Friday, Dec. 16, 2022
9:00 a.m. — Pre-Judging
- Fitness Olympia
- 212 Olympia
- Figure Olympia
- Women’s Physique Olympia
- Ms. Olympia
- Wellness Olympia
6:00 p.m. — Finals
- 212 Olympia
- Fitness Olympia
- Figure Olympia
- Women’s Physique Olympia
- Ms. Olympia
- Wellness Olympia
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022
9:00 a.m. — Pre-Judging
- Classic Physique Olympia
- Men’s Physique Olympia
- Bikini Olympia
- Wheelchair Olympia — Pre-Judging and Finals
7:00 p.m. — Finals
- Mr. Olympia
- Men’s Physique Olympia
- Bikini Olympia
- Classic Physique Olympia
To see who wins the 58th Mr. Olympia, check back with BarBend as we continue to provide updates for this and the other contests that are a part of the Saturday events in Las Vegas.
Featured Image: Chris Bernacchi