Your 2021 Mr. Olympia is Big Ramy. After a competitive round of pre-judging on Friday, Oct. 8 — which included solid showings from relative Olympia newcomers Hunter Labrada and Nick Walker — the judges seemed to favor Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay and Brandon Curry. In the end, it was the defending champ who managed to hang onto the most prestigious title in bodybuilding. Since Elssbiay is a previous Olympia winner, the total count of Mr. O remains at 16.
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Joe Wieder’s Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend took place in Orlando, FL, from Oct. 7-10. It featured 11 divisions — including the debut of the Wellness Division — and there was $1.6 million on the line. 2019 Mr. Olympia Brandon Curry placed second, and “The Persian Wolf Hadi Choopan placed third. In total, the 2021 Mr. Olympia took home $400,000 in cash. Here is the entire top five:
2021 Mr. Olympia Top Five
- Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, $400,000
- Brandon Curry, $150,000
- Hadi Choopan, $100,000*
- Hunter Labrada, $40,000
- Nick Walker, $35,000
*Choopan also won his second People’s Champion award, voted on by the fans.
During the Men’s Open pre-judging, the first callout featured six men: Nick Walker, Hadi Choopan, Big Ramy, Brandon Curry, Hunter Labrada, and William Bonac. Choopan brought what many fans and media members consider to be his best level of conditioning yet.
On Saturday, Choopan, Big Ramy, and Curry took center stage for what was presumably the showdown of the top three. All three men presented an elite package with little to no error. The judges certainly had their work cut out for them.
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The bodybuilder who hails from Egypt exploded onto the pro scene in 2013 by winning the New York Pro that year. Fans and the media marveled at his size — 5’11” and nearly 300 pounds on stage. This is Elssbiay’s eighth Mr. Olympia appearance and 20th competitive bodybuilding show.
2021 Olympia Weekend
The rest of the Olympia was also action-packed. Derek Lunsford defeated defending champion Shaun Clarida to become the new 212 Olympia winner. Also of note, Francielle Mattos won the first-ever Wellness division. Missed some of the action? Here are the 10 other division winners:
- 212 Division
- Fitness Division
- Ms. Olympia
- Figure Division
- Women’s Physique
- Wellness Division
- Wheelchair Olympia
- Men’s Physique
- Classic Physique
- Bikini
2021 Olympia Schedule
Olympia Weekend ran from Oct. 7-10, with the pro competitions taking place on the eighth and ninth. The Mr. Olympia finals will wrap on Saturday. Here’s the complete competition schedule:
- Friday, Sept. 8, 9:00 a.m. EST: Morning Pre-judging (Fitness, 212, Figure, Women’s Physique, Ms. O, Wellness)
- Friday, Sept. 8, 7:00 p.m. EST: Evening Finals (212, Fitness, Figure, Women’s Physique, Ms. O, Mr. O Pre-juding)
- Saturday, Sept. 9, 9:00 a.m. EST: Morning Pre-judging (Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini, Wellness Finals, Wheelchair Finals)
- Saturday, Sept. 9, 7:00 p.m. EST: Evening Finals (Mr. Olympia, Men’s Physique, Bikini, Classic Physique)
Featured Image: Will Wittmann (@w_wittmann on Instagram)