Tonio Burton is Going Back to the Olympia! The 2024 California State Championships Pro went down in Anaheim, California on May 25th, and “The Predator” Tonio Burton was the last man standing as the champion. As a result, he is now the eighth man to qualify for the historic 60th edition of the Mr. Olympia contest in Las Vegas this coming October.
That position for Burton is fitting because he was eighth at the 2023 Mr. Olympia in Orlando, FL last November. He now has an opportunity to move up in the placings and cement his name among the elite of the elite in bodybuilding. This is his third Men’s Open victory and fourth overall. His fans will remember that he started his pro career in the 212 division and won the Indy Pro in 2021.
Burton’s victory did not come easy, however. He was coming off a second-place finish at the Arnold Brazil and third-place spot at the New York Pro one week before this event. He had to hold off a very formidable runner-up in Emir Omeragic and third-place finisher Krystian Wolski to take the win in Anaheim. So, he is well aware that he will need to leave no stone unturned, and no rep left in the tank as he prepares to step on bodybuilding’s biggest stage.
The question that his supporters (and other bodybuilders) may be asking themselves is whether Burton will shut it down for now and focus on the Olympia or if he will keep entering shows with the goal of keeping other men from qualifying. Remember, if a winner has already qualified for the Olympia, then no qualification is awarded. It won’t roll down to the runner-up. There is also no points system for the Men’s Open either.
Those other athletes can breathe a sigh of relief because Muscle Insider reached out to Burton with that very question, and he provided us with his answer.
“No more shows for me. Olympia is the focus. I have some weak points I have to bring up and with how fast we can put on muscle I plan to have those weakness become strengths.”
Burton has certainly shown that he can make drastic changes. Every year since he has turned pro, he has revealed a bigger and better version of himself. Kai Greene used to be known as “The Predator,” but Burton has proven he deserves the moniker. Now, under the guidance of coach Justin Jacoby, his prey is the Sandow Trophy and honor of being the 19th Mr. Olympia. The question is can he improve enough to overtake defending champions Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan as well as the returning Nick Walker, who just defeated Burton to win the New York Pro. Time will only tell, but you can be sure that Burton intends to make the most of the time he has until the Olympia, which is 20 weeks and counting down.