212 division athlete Hadi Choopan wins open class!

The Vancouver Pro is an important bodybuilding event that has been attracting a lot of excellent athletes every year since its establishment in 2015. It not only serves as IFBB pro qualifier event where amateurs can obtain their pro card with a successful appearance, but more importantly, the pros fight for their much-needed qualification points for the most prestigious and most relevant competition Mr. Olympia, while the winner qualifies directly. With Mr. O being less than two months away from us and a presumably very strong line-up this year, the battle at the Vancouver Pro 2019 was really intense.

The starter field in the open class at the Vancouver Pro 2019 was pretty impressive: Nathan De Asha, British Grand Prix 2019 winner and potential candidate for one of the top places at Mr. Olympia, put himself into the limelight. The Brit once again showed the brilliant shape he had already sported one and a half weeks ago in Watford, England. If we speak about the big shots worldwide who are capable to fight for the biggest title in the bodybuilding realm, there certainly is no way around this athlete. And nonetheless – it wasn’t Nathan who won the competition!

Instead, the Iranian Hadi Choopan grabbed the first place! “The Persian Wolf”, as he likes to nickname himself, really killed the competition with a bone-dry, thick and massive look. This achievement is even more noteworthy if viewed against the backdrop, that Hadi had just changed from the 212 class into the open class at the moment of registration right before the competition! With this tremendous performance, the Iranian, who became a bodybuilding pro in 2016 when he triumphed at the IFBB Diamond Cup in Dubai, deservedly qualified for Mr. Olympia. Should he be allowed to pass US-American borders in September (which, unfortunately, is not to be taken for granted), he would be a serious contender for the title.

Iranian Hadi Choopan dominated the open class at the Vancouver Pro 2019, though he had just changed from the 212 class right before the competition began.

Another strong competitor was the experienced Czech athlete Lukas Osladil who repeated the really strong performance he showed at the Chicago Pro the weekend before last. Almost as usual, one might say, the 39-year-old veteran with three Mr. Olympia participations on his sheet convinced with a very sharp and dry appearance and ultimately finished third. With this accomplishment, Osladil secured five qualification points that he desperately needs to come out on top in the very close battle for the remaining places at the biggest event of the year.

Apart from that, young local hero Iain Valliere fought for his second Mr. Olympia qualification after his first participation in 2018. The Canadian, significant other of Chris Bumstead’s sister, once again captivated the judges and the audience with his insane muscle mass and finished fourth. Just like in early June at the Toronto Pro 2019, Valliere’s direct competitor turned out to be Josh Wade who completed the top five at this exciting event. The US-American might not be the best-looking guy in the field, but he impressed with sharp contours. The almost unknown Canadian athlete Quinton Eriya landed on rank six.

Though the competition was definitely owned by the Iranian ex-212 athlete Hadi Choopan, we can’t be sure to see him in Vegas onstage due to the political tensions between the USA and Iran. But the “Persian Wolf” strikingly demonstrated that he belongs to the global elite in this sport. Should he be able to enter the United States, Choopan would most likely stand his ground in this year’s dense field of top favorites with athletes like Brandon Curry, William Bonac or Dexter Jackson!