The 2023 bodybuilding season was full of tight competitions and standout moments that gave fans plenty to discuss over the past 12 months. We saw long-running dynasties continue on, others end in heartbreaking fashion, and new faces emerge as household names.
But among all the world-class competitors who took the stage in 2023, we found 10 who stood out as the best, in no particular order. Take a look back at the accomplishments of these championship-caliber athletes.
The 10 Best Bodybuilders of 2023
- Derek Lunsford
- Chris Bumstead
- Cydney Gillon
- Samson Dauda
- Andrew Jacked
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Andrea Shaw
- Ryan Terry
- Karol Milewski
- Aimee Delgado
Derek Lunsford
A victory at the Mr. Olympia competition is always a big deal, but Derek Lunsford took things a step further by becoming the first-ever two-division winner. In 2021, Lunsford dethroned then-reigning Olympia 212 champ Shaun Clarida to win that title for the first time. Then, this year, he beat reigning Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan to add a new bullet to his resume.
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And Lunsford didn’t just beat Choopan, who looked as good as ever. He conquered a tough field that also included Brandon Curry, Samson Dauda, and Andrew Jacked. With the 212 title and the Sandow on his mantle, Lunsford has solidified his place in the history books — and it looks like he’s just getting started.
Chris Bumstead
In what may have been the most predictable division winner on the men’s side, Chris Bumstead won his fifth Classic Physique Olympia title in November 2023. CBum is already the winningest athlete in the division’s history, and this fifth victory just adds to his claim as one of the top bodybuilders of the past decade.
What’s more impressive is that Bumstead fought off an absolutely stacked roster for this victory. The likes of Ramon Rocha Queiroz, Urs Kalecinski, and Breon Ansley were as good as ever, but they still couldn’t topple the champ.
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That said, special recognition should be given to Queiroz for his impressive 2023. He won the Arnold Classic in March and then gave CBum a real scare at the O. He pushed Bumstead harder than any other rival before him and proved that he could be the future of the division.
Cydney Gillon
The list of bodybuilders who have won seven or more Olympia titles is a short one. For the men, you’ve got Phil Heath and Arnold Schwarzenegger with seven Mr. O wins apiece, and Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney tied for the most at eight. On the women’s side of the stage, there are only three: 10-time Ms. Olympia Iris Kyle, eight-time Ms. Olympia Lenda Murray, and now seven-time Figure Olympia champion Cydney Gillon.
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Gillon’s dominance of her division has established her as a legend in bodybuilding, and she only furthered her legacy with yet another win in 2023. It’s unknown how long she will continue to rule the Figure division, but based on how she looked at the Olympia Orlando, it appears that every other rival may be fighting for second place going forward.
Samson Dauda
Samson Dauda was near the top of the Men’s Open division throughout much of 2023. First, he won the Arnold Classic in a shocker, beating out favorites like Nick Walker, Andrew Jacked, and Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay along the way.
Next, he showed up at the 2023 Mr. Olympia and earned a top-three finish, automatically qualifying him for the 2024 contest. He then won two other shows right after that, the Romania Muscle Fest Pro and Prague Pro, which also kept other men from qualifying for the Olympia.
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Dauda intends to defend his Arnold Classic title in 2024, meaning he has a short off-season. And if he makes the necessary improvements, there’s no reason why he can’t challenge Lunsford for the coveted Olympia crown in November 2024.
Andrew Jacked
Much like Dauda, Andrew Jacked also had a packed 2023 season. He started the year by finishing third at the 2023 Arnold Classic. He then won the 2023 Texas Pro, which qualified him for the 2023 Mr Olympia contest.
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He then showed up in Orlando and finished in the top five at the Olympia for the first time, beating out Hunter Labrada and Michal “Krizo” Krizanek and putting him just behind the 2019 Mr. O, Brandon Curry. Jacked has put the bodybuilding world on notice that he will be a threat to claim the Sandow in the future.
Ashley Kaltwasser
Ashley Kaltwasser was already the all-time winningest competitor going into the 2023 season, but she added to that record by becoming the first athlete to ever win 40 pro shows. Beyond that, she even went on to place in the top three at the 2023 Bikini Olympia, putting even more accolades on her stacked resume.
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A decade after she won her first Olympia title, Kaltwasser is still considered as much of a threat to the title as ever. She ended the 2023 season by notching a record-extending 43rd career win, and she appears to be on the road to 50 victories in 2024.
Andrea Shaw
Andrea Shaw went into this year looking to defend both her Rising Phoenix World Championship and Ms. Olympia titles. She had already won each show for the past three years, and her goal was to snag a four-peat. And she did so in dominant fashion.
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She began by successfully defending her Rising Phoenix title in September. Less than eight weeks later, she presented the best version of her physique to date and left with her fourth consecutive Olympia win. Angela Yeo finished second to Shaw in both contests, and she appears to be the biggest threat to dethrone her in 2024. Still, it’s hard to argue that Shaw won’t be the favorite going into any contest she enters at this point in her career.
Ryan Terry
The UK’s Ryan Terry is one of the veterans of the Men’s Physique division, but many fans and experts assumed his window of opportunity to win the Olympia had closed. But Terry never gave up, and as a result, he’s now a part of bodybuilding immortality.
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He started the year by winning the 2023 New York Pro show, and he ended it by winning the Men’s Physique Olympia that had eluded him for so long. In the process, he beat three past champions, including defending winner Erin Banks, three-time champion Brandon Hendrickson, and four-time champion Jeremy Buendia. Will he be able to add to his legacy with a repeat in 2024? We’ll have to wait and see — but either way, 2023 will be remembered as the year Terry finally broke through.
Karol Milewski
When the 2023 Wheelchair Olympia contest began, almost everyone expected five-time champion Harold “King Kong” Kelley to make it six wins in a row and remain the only champion in the division’s history. But he and everyone else in attendance were shocked when the dust settled and Karol Milewski came away with his first Olympia win.
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Based on the scorecards from that contest, there was no doubt that Milewski was the judges’ favorite that day. This may be the start of a back-and-forth between both competitors, or this may be just the beginning of another Olympia dynasty. Either way, both Milewski and Kelley have qualified for the 2024 Wheelchair Olympia already, and a rematch is all but inevitable.
Aimee Delgado
This year wasn’t just about established stars; plenty of up-and-comers have also made names for themselves. One such competitor is Aimee Delgado from the Bikini division. Delgado placed first in a whopping five pro shows in 2023, most notably the Pittsburgh Pro and New York Pro. She then went into the 2023 Bikini Olympia and left with a top-six finish.
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Delgado will have to win another show to re-qualify for the 2024 Olympia, but she has shown the athletes and fans of her division that she is primed to become a consistent presence in what is already one of the tightest divisions in the sport.
Looking Ahead
This year was as exciting as they come for bodybuilding, and there’s a good chance things will only get better in 2024. We already know the 2024 Arnold Classic roster is stacked, but there are also ongoing storylines like whether Derek Lunsford can successfully defend his Mr. Olympia title, Big Ramy’s future plans, Ramon Rocha Queiroz’s rise, and Andrea Shaw’s ongoing dominance.
How different will this list look next year? We don’t know — but we’re excited to watch it all unfold.
Featured Image: @dereklunsford_ on Instagram
