Jeremy Buendia Will Compete at the 2024 Men’s Physique Olympia

The 2023 Men’s Physique Olympia had arguably one of the most surprising finishes of the entire Olympia weekend. The weight caps for the division were increased, and defending champion Erin Banks fell by two ranks to the bronze position. Three-time Men’s Physique Olympia champion Brandon Hendrickson scored silver, and for the first time in nine appearances, Ryan Terry claimed the gold.

Among the athletes Terry defeated en route to his first Men’s Physique Olympia crown was four-time Men’s Physique Olympia champion (2014-17) Jeremy Buendia, who made his return to the competitive bodybuilding stage for the first time since losing his Olympia crown in 2018 to Hendrickson. Buendia’s highly-anticipated return culminated in an eighth-place finish — something he feels was justified given his lack of sleep during peak week that “missed the mark,” causing him to be “not 100 percent.”

On Nov. 6, 2023, Buendia took to his YouTube channel to publish a short video wherein he reflected on competing against the best Men’s Physique athletes in the world, how the division has progressed since his absence, and his commitment to return to the Men’s Physique Olympia stage in 2024 to attempt a fifth Olympia title. Check it out below:

[Related: Trailer for “Breaking Olympia,” a Documentary About 7-Time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, Released]

[Related: What’s the Diet Urs Kalecinski Used to Win Bronze at the 2023 Classic Physique Olympia?]

On the official scorecards for the 2023 Men’s Physique Olympia, Buendia scored a 40. For the context of how that score fared against the rest of the field comprised of 46 competitors, below are the results:

2023 Men’s Physique Olympia results

1. Ryan Terry — 5
2. Brandon Hendrickson — 10
3. Erin Banks — 15
4. Emanuel Hunter — 20
5. Diogo Montenegro — 26
6. Corey Morris — 29
7. Kyron Holden — 35
8. Jeremy Buendia — 40
9. Vitor Chaves — 45
10. Jeremy Potvin — 50
11. Edvan Palmeira — 56
12. Carlos DeOliveira — 57
13. Joseph Lee — 66
14. Andre Ferguson — 69 
15. Arya Saffaie — 75
16. Charjo Grant — 79
17. Mahmood Al-Maghrabi — 80 (T-16)
18. Daniel Ammons — 80 (T-16)
19. Anderson Arruda — 80 (T-16)
20. Adeyemi Awoyemi — 80 (T-16)
21. Ali Bilal — 80 (T-16)
22. Bhuwan Chauhan — 80 (T-16)
23. Victor Manuel Ramirez Chavez — 80 (T-16)
24. Rodrigue Chesnier — 80 (T-16)
25. Emmanuel Costa — 80 (T-16)
26. Riccardo Croci — 80 (T-16)
27. Drew Cullen — 80 (T-16)
28. Ismael Dominguez — 80 (T-16)
29. Febo Gambacorta — 80 (T-16)
30. Mauro Fialho Garcia Jr. — 80 (T-16)
31. Reuben Glass — 80 (T-16)
32. Jason Huynh — 80 (T-16)
33. Jonas Jamena — 80 (T-16)
34. Mehdi Kabbadj — 80 (T-16)
35. JunHo Lee — 80 (T-16)
36. Yoon Sung Lee — 80 (T-16)
37. Vinicius Mateus Veiro Lima — 80 (T-16)
38. Benquil Marigny — 80 (T-16)
39. Jeremiah Maxey — 80 (T-16)
40. Rafael Oliveira — 80 (T-16)
41. Sidy Pouye — 80 (T-16)
42. Kahlia Ramzi — 80 (T-16)
43. Joven Sagabain — 80 (T-16)
44. Derrick Stevenson — 80 (T-16)
45. Ming Chieh Tsai — 80 (T-16)
46. Emile Walker — 80 (T-16)

The 2024 Olympia is scheduled for Oct. 10-13, 2024, in Las Vegas, NV. We’ll see how Buendia’s off-season adjusts for the requirements of the modern-day Men’s Physique division with adjusted weight caps and if he can improve upon his eighth-place finish from 2023. If he were to ascend the throne of Men’s Physique in 2024, it would be exactly one decade between that and his first Olympia win in 2014.

Featured image: @jeremy_buendia on Instagram