Hadi Choopan was able to win his first Olympia in 2022 and William Bonac believes No. 2 is coming.
William Bonac announced that he will not compete again in 2023 but remains up to date with the biggest stories in the sport. During a recent interview, Bonac discussed the potential for the 2023 Olympia and believes that Hadi Choopan will repeat as champion.
Bonac competed during the 2022 Olympia show but was unhappy with his performance. He finished ninth before returning to the stage a few months later during the 2023 Arnold Classic. After finishing seventh, he announced that he would take some time off and return to Columbus in 2024.
Choopan has been one of the top competitors in Men’s Open in recent years but could never get over the hump. In 2022, Choopan was able to reach the top of the sport and win his first Olympia title. He will look to go back-to-back this year.
Once again, the Men’s Open division will be extremely deep with many talents. During an appearance on The Menace Podcast, Bonac broke down some of the top threats to the crown.
William Bonac: “I Think Hadi Can Repeat, Definitely”
After discussing his performance at the most recent Olympia, William Bonac touched on prospects for the 2023 show.
“He’s next level. Even with the pump up, when you stop pumping up, then he will come alive. The more he pumps up the freakier he gets. So, you know, I think honestly, last year or the year before the Olympia that he didn’t win, he looked way better…I’m sure he’s going to take another title.”
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Bonac believes that if Choopan comes in with his usual conditioning, he will be extremely difficult to beat.
“I think definitely Hadi can repeat it, definitely. I think as you see… a lot of 212 guys are doing very good in the Open class. That’s something that I’ve noticed. They’re extremely good, maybe because they don’t look as big as Big Ramy, those mass monsters. I think they’re trying to go away from that. Not to say they are little guys, you understand. I also see that they are rewarding the taller guys.”
Bonac Breaks Down Other Top Competitors
William Bonac began to discuss other top competitors for the 2023 Olympia. Brandon Curry is a former champion that has an Arnold Classic title from 2022 under his belt as well. Bonac claims that he “hopes” Curry can win once again but believes he cannot lose size, and needs to maintain muscle density, especially in his legs.
“Brandon is my dude, man. I hope he can fight for the title, like the direction that they are going I think, I don’t think so. No because if he does that, he will lose the size then he doesn’t look so impressive. They have to play the size game a little bit because when he dials in too much, he will lose the size of his legs again.”
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The panel, including Chris Cormier and Milos Sarcev, agreed that Nick Walker needs to improve his quad sweeps if he wants to take home the Olympia title. Walker is one of the biggest mass monsters in the sport but many believe his legs cost him the Arnold title in March.
“It’s just the legs, the sweep of the legs,” Bonac said.
“I would try to utilize my legs differently in those poses. The way he’s doing them is not helping him right now,” Cormier said.
William Bonac will focus on his family and other business ventures for the rest of the 2023 season while also improving his physique. Fans will be excited to see him back on stage in Columbus come 2024.
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