Mr Olympia 2023: Breakdown of How Much Top Five Will Get After Derek Lunsford Wins Maiden Title

• Derek Lunsford won the Mr Olympia 2023, beating 2022 champion Hadi Choopan
• Lunsford, a former football player, only started competing in the open division last year
• He became the first bodybuilder to win the event inin two different divisions

The 2023 Mr Olympia concluded over the weekend, with Derek Lunsford emerging victorious and breaking a record in the process.

Bodybuilding as a sport is growing in popularity and has brought together the world’s most talented bodybuilders to compete for the ultimate title.

Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness and Performance Weekend remains the most prestigious event in bodybuilding in the world, and 2023 marked the 59th edition of the event.

The event began on Thursday, November 2 and by Saturday, bodybuilding fans had learnt of a new champion in the form of Lunsford.

As cited on Generation Iron, Lunsford beat last year’s champion Hadi Choopan to the title as the ‘Persian Wolf’ came in second.

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Samson Dauda completed the podium in third place, as 2019 champion Brandon Curry could only manage a fourth-place finish.

Lunsford’s victory had a nice touch as he became the first athlete to win Mr Olympia in two separate divisions after winning the 212 competition in 2021. He was also presented with the People’s Choice award, to sum up an unforgettable Saturday night for him.

Sports Brief now looks at the prize-money breakdown of the 2023 top 5 Mr Olympia contestants, as per Fitness Volt.

1st Derek Lunsford ($400,000)

2nd Hadi Choopan ($150,000)

3rd Samson Dauda ($100,000)

4th Brandon Curry ($40,000)

5th Andrew Jacked ($35,000)

Hadi Choopan walks off stage after the loss

There was also a memorable moment during the final showdown at the Olympia as Hadi Choopan walked off stage as Lunsford was being declared the winner.

Choopan was tipped to defend his title successfully, but Lunsford came out of nowhere with conditioning, size and full muscle bellies.

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From pre-judging, it was clear it would go down to a battle between Choopan and Lunsford, but the Persian Wolf was not anticipating defeat.

On social media, Choopan attempted to show respect to the 2023 Mr Olympia competitors as he sent out a congratulatory message, saying:

“Well done on your achievement, I congratulate all of you on the championship and I wish you the best. Good luck and happy championship to all of you."

When Coleman weighed in on Messi vs Ronaldo debate

Sports Brief also reported on how eight-time Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman spoke on the unending ‘Messi or Ronaldo’ question.

In a recent Q and A session on his YouTube channel, Coleman weighed in on the GOAT debate as he answered a fan question on who he preferred between the two superstars.