Could Hunter Labrada one day reign as Mr. Olympia.
With a classic style mixed with a modern physique, Hunter Labrada has all the tools necessary to make him a top contender for the Olympia crown. His impressive performance could just be a prelude to what’s to come for the young bodybuilder.
No one can remain on top forever. Everyone has their time in the sun and must do with it what they can. Once your time is up, it can be nearly impossible to reclaim your glory, particularly where sporting ventures are concerned. Ask Ronnie Coleman and Phil Heath, two long reigning Mr. Olympia champions. It’s hard to become champion, even harder to defend the title, and basically impossible when their reign has come to an end.
New Blood
But with the ending of a reign comes new blood. Fresh faces are coming to the forefront of bodybuilding. A new era is beginning. While Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay reigns as the current Mr. Olympia, he won’t hold the title for all time. There are other young, hungry contenders who are up to the task of taking on the best of the best to earn the right to be crowned Mr. Olympia. One of the top contenders to potentially hold that coveted title is none other than the up and coming Hunter Labrada.
The son of the legendary Lee Labrada, Hunter Labrada has all the tools necessary to become a future Mr. Olympia champion. Hunter came in fourth place at the 2021 Olympia, even outpointing top bodybuilder and fellow fresh faced contender Nick Walker. Hunter clearly has some attributes that will make him an ideal Mr. Olympia.
At 29 years of age, Hunter Labrada is in that sweet spot in terms of bodybuilding. Many bodybuilders come into their own in their 30s meaning that Hunter has yet to hit his prime. That means that we haven’t even seen his full potential as of yet. From what we can see, Hunter has a well balanced physique, symmetrical and well muscled. If he can mange to dial in his conditioning even more and fine tune his posing routine, he could easily find himself in the top three at next year’s show.
A Modern Classic
What we saw was Hunter Labrada being able to marry the classic and modern eras of bodybuilding. He has a classic influence from his father while maintaining a well muscled and massive frame we’ve come to know as the standard of modern bodybuilding. His routine at the 2021 Olympia showed just how deadly the combo can be when well executed together.
With Lee Labrada helping him every step of the way, it’s very possible that we could see Hunter make further strides in his posing ability. He has the kind of balanced physique that has seen champions like Brandon Curry, Shawn Rhoden, and Phil Heath outduel the competition. While he still may have some years before he can actually ascend to the thrown, Hunter Labrada has all the ingredients necessary to usher in a new era of bodybuilding.
Do you think Hunter Labrada will one day be an Olympia champion?
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.