The 2024 Mr. Olympia competition is just days away, leading bodybuilders and retired Pros to offer up their expectations. In a recent YouTube video shared on September 29, 2024, Dennis James and Milos Sarcev gave their top five Classic Physique picks while Keone Pearson revealed his top five picks for the Men’s Open division.
For the last five years, Chris Bumstead has reigned supreme in Classic Physique, winning the Olympia title in his category with unparalleled shape, proportions, and conditioning. While he’s gone largely unchallenged atop the throne, there is one contender who many believe could give him fits on stage and that’s Wesley Vissers.
Vissers picked up two consecutive victories this season. He defeated Ramon Queiroz at the 2024 Arnold Classic Ohio then won gold at the UK Arnold Classic, showcasing newfound size, symmetry, and leg definition. But that’s just in Classic Physique; there is also considerable fanfare surrounding the Men’s Open category, currently ruled by two-division champion Derek Lunsford.
Lunsford will face an incredibly deep lineup if he hopes to become a two-time champion. Aside from his arch-rival and teammate Hadi Choopan, an improved Samson Dauda awaits alongside other notable threats such as Nick Walker and Andrew Jacked, whom both picked up wins this season.
2024 Mr. Olympia Picks Revealed
Keone Pearson’s Picks for the Men’s Open at the 2024 Mr. Olympia
- Winner — Hadi Choopan
- Second Place — Samson Dauda
- Third Place — Derek Lunsford
- Fourth Place — Andrew Jacked
- Fifth Place — Nick Walker
With the caveat that Samson Dauda could win the show at 100 percent, Keone Pearson chose Hadi Choopan to emerge victorious at the 60th anniversary.
“I’m going to say Hadi first, that’s probably number one. Samson second, I truly believe Samson can really break a lot of dreams this year if he keeps going in that direction that I’m seeing on social media.”
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Dennis James’ Picks for the Classic Physique 2024 Mr. Olympia
- Winner — Chris Bumstead
- Second Place — Wesley Vissers
- Third Place — Ramon Queiroz
- Fourth Place — Urs Kalecinski
- Fifth Place — Breon Ansley
James justified his picks below, highlighting that Vissers was Bumstead’s greatest threat because of his size.
“I’m going with Chris Bumstead because I think that he sees what Wesley is bringing and he knows if this is his last one, he knows he’s going to have to go out. Nobody wants to go out losing. So, I think he’s going to do whatever he has to do in order to be better than he was last year, definitely and be good enough to win.”
“I have Wesley in second because I think nobody is a threat to Chris more than Wesley and this is because of the size that he has. He’s the only one that can make Chris look small in certain poses which the other guys can’t do, especially Ramon, because Ramon is not as wide,” explains Dennis James.
Milos Sarcev’s Picks for Classic Physique at the 2024 Mr. Olympia
- Winner — Chris Bumstead
- Second Place — Wesley Vissers
- Third Place — Ramon Queiroz
- Fourth Place — Urs Kalecinski
- Fifth Place — Breon Ansley
Sarcev also gave his two cents, laying out his reasoning for why he believes the night will belong to Bumstead.
“I still think yeah, Chris is a big big favorite. It’s going to be hard to defeat him. Wesley, and you saying Ramon is in crazy condition next-level, I mean, if he’s already that peeled Ramon is still a contender. Wesley was so much wider and I think Ramon lost because he didn’t keep his legs separated and as big as normally.”
“If he did, the balance would be there. So, I think that Ramon can still be fighting for first place but I’m a huge fan of Wesley. So I’m going to put Wesley second and Ramon third.”
Bodybuilders far and wide are giving their thoughts on who might walk away with gold in the Men’s Open. As of late, Martin Fitzwater, who is competing at this year’s Olympia, gave his official picks for the headlining division as well as Jeremy Buendia. He revealed his top predictions for those competing in the Open, Men’s Physique, and Classic Physique.
Given how stacked each lineup is, making picks this year has been a challenging task. Don’t miss the return of the 2024 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 10-13!
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