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2022 Mr. Olympia Line Up is Set

By: 
Roger “Rock” Lockridge

The 2022 Mr. Olympia lineup is finally set in place. The biggest show in bodybuilding will take place Dec.16th and 17thin Las Vegas, NV, and we now know the lineup for the main event – the 58th Mr. Olympia.

The final contest of the season, the Romania Muscle Fest Pro, took place on Sunday, Nov. 13, and Iran’s Behrooz Tabani Abar Ghani won that show to snag the final qualification. The top three in the Olympia Qualifying points out of those that didn’t win a show were Justin Rodriguez, Andrea Muzi, and Steve Kuclo. The entire list of the 36 qualifiedathletes is below, as listed on the Mr. Olympia website.

  • Mamdouh Elssbiay (Egypt)
  • Nick Walker (USA)
  • Nathan De Asha (UK)
  • Brandon Curry (USA)
  • Hadi Choopan (Iran)
  • Hunter Labrada (USA)
  • Shaun Clarida (USA)
  • Regan Grimes (Canada)
  • Samson Dauda (UK)
  • Rafael Brandao (Brazil)
  • Angel Calderon Frias (Spain)
  • Joel Thomas (USA)
  • William Bonac (Netherlands)
  • Blessing Awodibu (Ireland)
  • Charles Griffen (USA)
  • Mohamed Shabaan (Egypt)
  • Hassan Mostafa (Egypt)
  • Mohammad Alnsoor (Jordan)
  • Vitor Boff (Brazil)
  • Andrea Presti (Italy)
  • Iain Valliere (Canada)
  • Antoine Vaillant (Canada)
  • Akim Williams (USA)
  • Chinedu Andrew Obiekea (USA)
  • Vladyslav Sukhoruchko (Ukraine)
  • Derek Lunsford (USA)
  • Patrick Johnson (Denmark)
  • Tonio Burton (USA)
  • James Hollingshead (UK)
  • Michal Krizanek (Slovakia)
  • Leandro Peres (Brazil)
  • Theo Leguerrier (France)
  • Behrooz Tabani Abar Ghani (Iran)

Top Three In Olympia Qualifying Points

  1. Justin Rodriguez (USA), 32
  2. Andrea Muzi (Italy), 29
  3. Steve Kuclo (USA), 24

Athletes Not Competing

All of these athletes are on the list of qualified contenders, but not all of them will compete. So far, we know that Steve Kuclo has bowed out because of his intention to start a family with his wife. We can also confirm that Nathan DeAsha will not compete due to recovering from an injury. Regan Grimes has also decided to skip this year to focus on improving for the 2023 contest.

Athletes on the Bubble

We also know there are two men that are qualified in multiple divisions. MUTANT athlete and 2020 Olympia 212 Champion Shaun Clarida and fellow 212 competitor Angel Calderon Frias are qualified for both the Men’s Open and the 212 division. The IFBB Pro League has already determined that they can’t compete in both contests. So, they will have to pick the division they wish to enter. As of this writing, neither man had officially made a decision.

Specifically for Clarida, he is in a unique position to make history in one of two ways. If he enters the 212, he could be the first 212 competitor to win back the Olympia after losing it onstage. If he enters the Open, he could be the first man to win the Olympia in two divisions.

Canada’s Competitors

In regards to Canada, thanks to Grimes’ absence, the only two athletes that will represent that country for the Olympia are Iain Valliere and Antoine Valliant. Muscle Insider will discuss their chances of success in a future column.

The rest of the divisions will be set on Nov. 20 after that weekend’s contests wrap up. Stay tuned to Muscle Insider for the official rosters for all 11 pro divisions at the Olympai and Canada’s chances in each of those divisions.

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