The 60th edition of the Mr. Olympia contest is the main event of the 2024 Olympia Weekend, set for Oct. 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV. The last athlete standing in that competition will be crowned champion of the Men’s Open division and considered the top athlete in the sport.
Many competitors have been named as contenders for that title, including defending champion Derek Lunsford, 2022 winner Hadi Choopan, 2023 Arnold Classic champion Samson Dauda, and the popular 2024 New York Pro winner, Nick Walker. One name not suggested is the man who won the coveted title twice before Choopan, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay.
Some fans may believe that Elssbiay’s window of opportunity has closed. Others feel he is simply waiting for the right time to return to the stage. There is even speculation that the mass monster from Egypt has simply walked away from the sport quietly.
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Did Big Ramy Retire From Bodybuilding?
There have been no reports or confirmation of Elssbiay retiring from bodybuilding as of July 25, 2024. His last public statement regarding competition was when he bowed out of the 2023 Olympia in Orlando, FL.
- “I think the better choice is right now, we need to get a break. The Olympia is here, and we’re working to get better and better for the next show,” Ramy told event host Bob Cicherillo last September.
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Elssbiay’s last competition was the 2023 Arnold Classic, where he placed fifth behind champion Dauda. Signs show that Elssbiay intends to return to the stage at some point, but when and who would work with him to prepare for a potential comeback?
Moreover, many of Ramy’s contemporaries including Lunsford, Walker, and Dauda have already publicly indicated their intent to appear on the “O” stage in ’24 by sharing insights into their contest preps. Ramy has remained comparatively silent.
Choopan’s Comeback?: 2022 Mr. O Choopan, who maintains a similarly low profile online as Ramy, recently declared his intent to win back the Sandow trophy, saying to his competitors, “You [will not be] happy I am coming…” on social media in June.
Sources Say…
BarBend reached out to Elssbiay’s team regarding the Egyptian superstar’s status for the 2024 Olympia, but received no reply as of July 25, 2024. Elssbiay is also not on the list of athletes qualified to compete in the 2024 Olympia on the competition’s official website. That could be because he has not made his intentions clear, however.
- As the 16th athlete to win bodybuilding’s world championship, Elssbiay is eligible to enter any show for the Men’s Open division for life, including the Mr. Olympia contest. After five years, Elssbiay would have to seek approval from the IFBB Pro League before competing.
Elssbiay’s most recent win was in 2021 when he went back-to-back in Orlando, FL, securing his second Mr. Olympia title. He’s well within that five-year window. He can announce his entry to the Olympia promoters and IFBB Pro League President Jim Manion and would automatically join the lineup.
Radio Chatter: On an Apr. 7 episode of The Menace Podcast, host Dennis James asked bodybuilding coach Patrick Tuor if he was working with Ramy for the 2024 Olympia season. “I’m not saying anything,” Tuor replied cagily at the time.
Big Ramy’s Bodybuilding Career in 2024
Despite the uncertainty, Elssbiay continues to live a bodybuilding lifestyle. He posts regularly on his Instagram page, appearing nearly as big and muscular as ever.
Elssbiay has been competing in the pro ranks since 2013, when his dominant debut at the New York Pro secured him his first taste of gold. Since then, he has been a regular contender on the Olympia stage, and many fans anticipated he would eventually win.
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That came to fruition in 2020 when he dethroned 2019 champion Brandon Curry and spoiled the return of seven-time winner Phil Heath to win the Sandow trophy. Elssbiay repeated in 2021 but was relegated to fifth in 2022 when Choopan won.
Big Ramy is a top-tier celebrity in his home country of Egypt and is revered by bodybuilding fans throughout the world. Even 17 months since he last competed, Elssbiay is far from irrelevant. His most recent public appearance was supposed to be part of a superstar guest-posing lineup at the 2024 Pittsburgh Pro in Pittsburgh, PA. However, Elssbiay canceled that appearance.
On the business side, Elssbiay is sponsored by multiple brands and runs his supplement line in his home country. All signs appear Elssbiay is successful, healthy, and training. The question remains whether his career as an athlete continues in 2024 and beyond.
Who Will Be in the Top 5 at the 2024 Olympia?
It is hard for fans to predict the top five at the 2024 Mr. Olympia since the qualifying season is not over until Sept. 15. However, several names are already bouncing around as likely candidates: Lunsford, Choopan, Dauda, Walker, and Curry, who also has a lifetime invite as a past champion. Andrew Jacked and Hunter Labrada are solid candidates if they qualify this season. Both athletes are prepping for pro shows at the time of this article’s publication.
Elssbiay will be 40 years old by the time pre-judging begins on the 2024 Olympia stage. History rides on his potential entry in the 2024 Olympia lineup. He would be one of four champions competing — himself, Lunsford, Choopan, and Curry — which has never happened in the contest’s 60-year history.
There have been a few instances where three previous champions were in the same lineup. The most recent time was in 2020, when Curry, Heath, and Dexter Jackson graced the stage together. Elssbiay won his first Olympia that year.
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Elssbiay has an opportunity to be the second bodybuilder in history to regain the title after losing it. The first to do that was Jay Cutler, who defeated Jackson in 2009 to reclaim the Sandow trophy. Curry and Choopan also have this opportunity.
Elssbiay would be the third athlete 40 years of age or older to win the Mr. Olympia title should he claim the Sandow for a third time. The other two are the late Shawn Rhoden (2018) and Chris Dickerson (1982), both of whom were 43 years old when they won their titles. Curry is the only other bodybuilder in the lineup over 40 at the time of this article’s publication.
If Elssbiay is in the 2024 Olympia lineup and healthy, could he bump one of those favorites out of the top five? Is he a threat for the title, or has that window closed? The bodybuilding world waits with bated breath; what will Big Ramy do next?
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Featured Images: @big_ramy on Instagram
