{"id":22476,"date":"2026-06-15T21:58:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T21:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=22476"},"modified":"2026-06-15T21:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T21:58:13","slug":"who-is-derek-lunsford-meet-the-mr-olympia-reigning-champion-who-was-once-mr-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=22476","title":{"rendered":"Who is Derek Lunsford? Meet the Mr Olympia reigning champion who was once Mr USA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>DEREK Lunsford is a professional bodybuilder who has been winning competitions since 2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/6948300\/derek-lunsford-body-transformation-mr-olympia-unrecognizable\/\" rel=\"\">Pro League World champion is a renowned athlete<\/a> having won two Mr Olympia titles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--thesun aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Sport\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the <span class=\"newsletter-name theme-sport\">Sport<\/span> newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9546966\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Derek Lunsford is the most recent winner of Mr Olympia<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Derek burst onto the bodybuilding in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>He made his amateur bodybuilding debut at the NPC Indianapolis Championships, where he competed in the Men\u2019s Open Welterweight division and won.<\/p>\n<p>Two years later he bagged the title of Rookie of the Year and earned his pro card.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is Derek Lunsford?<\/h2>\n<p>Born on May 14, 1993, the 240lb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/topic\/bodybuilding\/\" rel=\"\">bodybuilder <\/a>competes in the men\u2019s open bodybuilding division in the IFBB Pro League.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-readmore\">\n<div class=\"article-readmore__header\">\n<p class=\"article-readmore__headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tREAD MORE ON BODYBUILDING\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-readmore__content-wrapper article-readmore__content-wrapper--multi\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"article-readmore__text-anchor-wrap\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/9546140\/who-is-bodybuilder-william-bonac\/\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-readmore__content\">\n<div class=\"article-readmore__content-img\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"240\" width=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/09\/muscle-op-jk.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;1726804553&amp;w=360&amp;h=240&amp;crop=1\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-readmore__text\">\n<div class=\"article-readmore__text-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"article-readmore__text-kicker\">MUSCLE MAN<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-readmore__text-headline\">Inside the life of bodybuilder William Bonac<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"article-readmore__text-anchor-wrap\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/9515262\/bodybuilder-frank-zane-who\/\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-readmore__content\">\n<div class=\"article-readmore__content-img\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"240\" width=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/11\/cj-frank.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;1699003730&amp;w=360&amp;h=240&amp;crop=1\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-readmore__text\">\n<div class=\"article-readmore__text-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"article-readmore__text-kicker\">THAT&#8217;S IN-ZANE<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-readmore__text-headline\">Everything you need to know about bodybuilder Frank Zane<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>With 1.3 million followers on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/topic\/instagram\/\">Instagram<\/a>, as of September 2024, the sports personality regularly posts pictures of his on-stage wins.<\/p>\n<p>Growing up in Petersbury, Indiana, Derek participated in various<a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/\"> sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He excelled at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/soccer\/\" rel=\"\">soccer<\/a> during high school and was a promising amateur <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/topic\/wrestling\/\" rel=\"\">wrestler<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But he was forced to quit wrestling as there was no program at his chosen college, and instead Derek headed to the gym.<\/p>\n<p>He challenged himself with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/health\/8775561\/gym-weights-tips-get-toned-muscles-whatever-age-health\/\" rel=\"\">bigger weights<\/a>, eventually making his bodybuilding debut at the age of 22.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Personal trainer James Brown took him under his wing and guided him to achieve better results.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<!-- Start of Brightcove Player --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- End of Brightcove Player --><\/p>\n<p>In September 2024, Derek revealed on social media that he had united with Mr Olympia winner, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/6987665\/crowned-mr-olympia-years-pain-suffering-dream-body\/\">Hadi Choopan<\/a>, to train under Hany Rambod.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, Derek bagged the title of Mr USA.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote on Instagram: \u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible weekend to say the least.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m honored to be Mr. USA 2017!!!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWords cannot describe the feeling I\u2019m having by earning this title.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s truly and honor to represent the IFBB and I promise to represent to the best of my ability as a professional on and off the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The American has been open about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/topic\/churches\/\">his faith<\/a> online, stating he is a \u201cproud Christian\u201d, and regularly posts about his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/topic\/religion\/\">religious<\/a> beliefs on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does Derek Lunsford do for a living? <\/h2>\n<p>Derek established himself as a competitive amateur bodybuilder, winning the 2015 and 2016 NPC Junior Nationals.<\/p>\n<p>He earned his Pro Card in the 2017 NPC USA Championships.<\/p>\n<p>This marked his transition to professional bodybuilding.<\/p>\n<p>As well as competing, the athlete has his own website where he sells a variety of merchandise, including a T-shirt printed with a topless image of himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12490919\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Derek Lunsford tied the knot with wife Jhelsin Mabaga in March 2022<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Instagram\/ @dereklunsford_<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12490921\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>The pair welcomed their adorable baby girl into the world in early 2024<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Instagram\/ @dereklunsford_<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Derek Lunsford married?<\/h2>\n<p>Derek is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/9749282\/who-is-bodybuilder-derek-lunsford\/\" rel=\"\">married to Jhelsin Mabaga<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The pair tied the knot in Indiana in March\u00a02022.<\/p>\n<p>She is a fitness trainer who specializes in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/topic\/weight-loss\/\">weight loss<\/a>\u00a0and muscle building.<\/p>\n<p>According to her Instagram bio, she is the \u201ccoach for women who are ready to become their most confident self without feeling restricted\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2023, Derek posted on the social media that Jhelsin was expecting a baby girl.<\/p>\n<p>On January 12, 2024, Derek shared a snap of their newborn saying: \u201cWelcome to the world sweet baby girl. You are already so so loved.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Their daughter is named Evie.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12490923\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Derek Lunsford with wife Jhelsin Mabaga<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Instagram\/ @dereklunsford_<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who won Mr Olympia in 2023?<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/9548633\/mr-olympia-2023-results-prize-money-full-winners-list\/\" rel=\"\">Derek was named 2023 Mr Olympia<\/a> on November 4, 2023, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/where\/florida\/\">Florida<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the 59th edition of bodybuilding\u2019s most prestigious event, Lunsford came out on top, pushing previous champ Hadi into second spot.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to his win, he also won a mega cash prize of $400,000.<\/p>\n<p>Generation Iron took to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/topic\/instagram\/\">Instagram<\/a> to share a post commemorating the win and wrote: \u201cThe NEW Mr Olympia champion Derek Lunsford! He becomes the 18th champion ever and first to win an Olympia title in two divisions\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He has spoken out about his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/6948300\/derek-lunsford-body-transformation-mr-olympia-unrecognizable\/\">incredible bodybuilding transformation<\/a> in the long lead-up to him becoming an Olympia champ.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12490934\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Derek Lunsford competes in the Mr Olympia event during the Olympia Fitness &amp; Performance weekend<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12490933\" class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-caption alignnone aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span>Derek Lunsford at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on December 17, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Credit: Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How many times has Derek Lunsford won Mr Olympia?<\/h2>\n<p>Lunsford has won Mr Olympia twice throughout his career.<\/p>\n<p>Lunsford was the first winner of two divisions in the Mr Olympia competition and was awarded $400,000 in prize money for both the 2023 and 2021 titles.<\/p>\n<p>His first win was in October 2021, where he won the 212 Mr Olympia, overtaking the then-holder, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/news\/7365211\/olympia-champ-giant-killer-told-career-over\/\">Shaun Clarida<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In 2022, Derek was invited as a special guest to compete in the open division of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/topic\/mr-olympia\/\" rel=\"\">Mr Olympia<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/news\/6995621\/mr-olympia-derek-lunsford-transformation-motivation-bodybuilder\/\">He took second place<\/a> behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/6941729\/mr-olympia-2022-winner-results\/\" rel=\"\">Hadi Choopan<\/a>, pocketing $150,000.<\/p>\n<p>However, he came back strong in 2023..<\/p>\n<p>Derek knocked Hadi off the top spot, claiming the title for both Mr Olympia and the People\u2019s Champion Award.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How tall is Derek Lunsford?<\/h2>\n<p>Derek is 168cm (5ft 6in).<\/p>\n<p>But his incredible physique often makes him appear much taller.<\/p>\n<p>The bodybuilder was inspired by the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/who\/jay-cutler\/\">Jay Cutler<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/news\/8376406\/seven-time-mr-olympia-phil-heath-loss\/\">Phil Heath<\/a>, and this sparked his motivation for building a world-class physique.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How did Derek Lunsford win Mr Olympia?<\/h2>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/derek-lunsford-profile\/\">Fitness Volt<\/a>, the pro athlete weighs between 102-108kgs (225-240lbs).<\/p>\n<p>This is thanks to his unbelievable build and muscle storage.<\/p>\n<p>He has revealed how he keeps a regular training schedule, working out six days a week.<\/p>\n<p>More specifically, he puts focus on his abs and legs, in particular, working them twice weekly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, he does cardio at least once, sometimes twice per day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/lifestyle\/7007820\/inside-the-post-show-diet-of-mr-olympia\/\" rel=\"\">keeps his weight low<\/a>, and his conditioning up to competition standards.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/sport\/9546339\/derek-lunsford-mr-olympia-winner\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DEREK Lunsford is a professional bodybuilder who has been winning competitions since 2015.\u00a0 The Pro League World champion is a renowned athlete having won two Mr Olympia titles. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Derek Lunsford is the most recent winner of Mr Olympia Credit: Getty Derek burst onto the bodybuilding in 2015. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":774,"featured_media":22477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[275,215],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-derek-lunsford","category-mens-open-bodybuilding"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Who is Derek Lunsford? Meet the Mr Olympia reigning champion who was once Mr USA - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=22476\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who is Derek Lunsford? Meet the Mr Olympia reigning champion who was once Mr USA - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DEREK Lunsford is a professional bodybuilder who has been winning competitions since 2015.\u00a0 The Pro League World champion is a renowned athlete having won two Mr Olympia titles. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Derek Lunsford is the most recent winner of Mr Olympia Credit: Getty Derek burst onto the bodybuilding in 2015. 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