Three years in a row, Ali Bilal has stood one step from the top of the bodybuilding world — second at the Mr. Olympia in 2024, 2025 and 2026, each time behind Britain’s Ryan Terry. 🥈
But the placing is only half his story. Before the board shorts and the bright lights, Bilal was a 13-year-old refugee who walked out of Afghanistan alone — a journey of thousands of kilometres that ended in Belgium, where a gym changed his life.
Today he is an Arnold Classic champion, a two-time New York Pro winner and the most consistent Men’s Physique athlete alive not named Ryan Terry. This is his full story, updated for 2026.
Ali Bilal Quick Facts
| Full Name | Ali Bilal |
| Born | 1994 — Afghanistan (exact birth date not publicly confirmed) |
| Age | 31–32 years old (in 2026) |
| Height | 5’6″ (168 cm) — as listed by most profiles |
| Contest Weight | 77–84 kg (170–185 lb) |
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Based In | Belgium |
| Division | IFBB Pro League Men’s Physique |
| Best Olympia Result | 2nd place — 2024, 2025 and 2026 |
| Biggest Titles | Arnold Classic champion (2025); New York Pro (2024, 2026); Pittsburgh Pro (2024); Arnold Classic UK (2022) |
| Business | Founder of ALITE Wear clothing |
Early Life: The Walk From Afghanistan to Belgium 🚶
Ali Bilal was born in 1994 in a small village in Afghanistan. Sport was there from the start — cricket was his first love, and as a boy he also trained in karate for around three years and boxed for two, while helping his father work the land.
At just 13 years old, he left home alone. The journey to Europe took years — crossing deserts and borders, much of it on foot, over a distance often put at around 10,000 kilometres — until he finally reached Belgium.
He arrived with nothing: no money, no language, no plan. By his own company’s account, he learned to read as an adult and went on to master multiple languages — interviews credit him with speaking six or seven. 🗣️
In Belgium he discovered the gym, and it gave him a language of its own. Inspired by physiques like Jay Cutler and Big Ramy, the teenager who had walked across a continent started building a stage physique.
Road to the Pro Card: Europe First, Then the World 🌍
Bilal’s competitive career began on the European IFBB amateur circuit. His international debut came at the 2018 European Championships, where he placed 3rd in the Men’s Physique class up to 173 cm.
Then came a remarkable 2019. In a single year he won the Arnold Classic Europe amateur title (class and overall), the Nordic Cup (class and overall), the Diamond Cup France, the Malta International Grand Prix (class and overall), the Diamond Cup Luxembourg and the President Santonja Cup overall. 🏆
Those results earned him IFBB Elite Pro status, and he tested himself at the 2020 Arnold Classic Europe Elite Pro show, placing 7th against seasoned professionals.
But Bilal wanted the biggest stage of all — the Mr. Olympia — and that meant switching to the NPC and IFBB Pro League system. In 2021 he placed 2nd at the NPC Worldwide Italian Classic, his first step on the new ladder.
The breakthrough year was 2022: he won the Sheru Classic Italy and the Empro Classic, took 2nd at the Mr. Big Evolution Portugal, and won the Arnold Classic UK Men’s Physique title as an Elite Pro.
Most importantly, he qualified for the Mr. Olympia. On debut in Las Vegas in 2022, the former refugee placed 9th in a contest won by Erin Banks — a division built for social media as much as the stage, the same era that made stars of pioneers like Jeff Seid.
The Pro Wins: A Slow Climb, Then a Breakout 📈
Success did not arrive in a straight line. Bilal competed in five shows in 2023, winning the Flex Weekend Pro and placing 2nd at the Europa Pro and 3rd at the Sheru Classic India — but at the 2023 Olympia he slipped to 16th, outside the top 15.
Many athletes would have faded. Instead, 2024 became his breakout season: Bilal won both the Pittsburgh Pro and the New York Pro, then stunned the division by jumping 14 places at the Olympia to finish 2nd behind Ryan Terry. 💥
In March 2025 he added the one trophy missing from his shelf. At the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio, Bilal beat former Olympia champion Erin Banks and defending Arnold champion Diogo Montenegro to win the Men’s Physique title — receiving the trophy from Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.
He joined an Arnold champions’ list that stretches back through the division’s history, including early winners like Sadik Hadzovic, who took the title a decade earlier.
The Olympia Rivalry With Ryan Terry 🥇🥈
Every great division has a defining rivalry, and in modern Men’s Physique it is Terry versus Bilal.
Ryan Terry has won the Olympia four straight times, from 2023 to 2026. In the last three of those finals, the man standing next to him at the end was Ali Bilal.
The pattern is remarkable: 9th in 2022, 16th in 2023 — then 2nd, 2nd and 2nd. No other athlete has finished runner-up three years in a row in the Terry era.
The 2026 final, held on September 26 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, was his closest call yet in some ways and his clearest defeat in others: Terry scored a perfect 5 points, Bilal took 12, and Kyron Holden edged into 3rd on 13.
Bilal’s reaction summed up his mindset. “Being second in the world is not bad,” he told NPC News Online after the final — but he also apologised to fans and promised: “Hopefully, next year it’s going to be a gold medal.” 🔥
Training and Diet: Conditioning Is the Brand 🥗
Bilal’s published routine is built on a simple three-day split: chest and arms on day one, legs on day two, back and shoulders on day three, then a rest day before the cycle repeats.
The approach is old-school volume and relentless consistency — the same discipline he credits for everything in his life. “I didn’t cheat on the diet. I didn’t miss the workout,” he said after the 2026 Olympia.
His diet follows the same pattern: five meals a day built on lean protein, complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruit. Staples include egg whites, chicken breast, oatmeal, rice and pineapple.
The result is the most reliable conditioning in the division — capped shoulders, a tiny waist and the deeply etched obliques and vacuum pose that judges and fans instantly recognise. Even rival legend Jeremy Buendia has praised his abs and stage charisma.
Ali Bilal in 2026 🔮
Bilal’s 2026 season was a rollercoaster. He won the New York Pro in May for the second time, beating Brazil’s Edvan Palmeira, but then lost the Pittsburgh Pro to Kyron Holden — the same rival he would edge out by a single point for Olympia silver months later.
At the Olympia on September 24–27, 2026, he completed his hat-trick of second places, and at 31–32 he remains one of the younger men in a top five that included veterans and former champions — proof the division’s depth is real, with experienced pros like AJ Ellison still winning shows elsewhere on the circuit.
Off stage, his business life is growing. His clothing brand, ALITE Wear, sells the board shorts and gym apparel he made famous, and in August 2025 he signed as the global face of Indonesian supplement company Evolene.
Asked if he is still hungry after three straight silvers, his answer was two words: “Always hungry.” The chase for gold continues into 2027. 💪
Frequently Asked Questions ❓
Where was Ali Bilal born?
Ali Bilal was born in 1994 in a small village in Afghanistan. Some websites claim he was born in Kabul, but his own accounts describe a village upbringing — and at 13 he left the country alone, eventually reaching Belgium, where he still lives.
How many times has Ali Bilal placed second at the Olympia?
Three times in a row — 2024, 2025 and 2026 — each time behind champion Ryan Terry. He also placed 9th on his Olympia debut in 2022 and 16th in 2023.
Has Ali Bilal won the Arnold Classic?
Yes. He won the Arnold Classic Men’s Physique title in Columbus, Ohio, in March 2025, beating Erin Banks and Diogo Montenegro. He also won the Arnold Classic UK title in 2022 and the Arnold Classic Europe amateur title in 2019.
How tall is Ali Bilal?
Most profiles list him at 5’6″ (168 cm), although listings vary slightly — in his European amateur days he competed in classes for athletes up to 173 cm.
What does Ali Bilal do besides bodybuilding?
He is the founder of ALITE Wear, a fitness clothing brand, and in 2025 he became the global ambassador for Evolene supplements. His refugee story has made him one of the most in-demand motivational figures in the sport.
Will Ali Bilal compete in 2027?
He has said his goal is unchanged: after three straight Olympia silver medals, he told fans he hopes “next year it’s going to be a gold medal” — so expect him back on the Olympia stage in 2027.
The Bottom Line ✅
Ali Bilal’s résumé is already elite: an Arnold Classic title, two New York Pro wins, a Pittsburgh Pro win — and three consecutive Olympia silver medals behind one of the greatest champions the division has seen.
But his story reaches far beyond placings. A boy who walked out of Afghanistan at 13 and taught himself to read as an adult now stands one place from the top of the sport. Whether gold comes in 2027 or later, the walk was worth it. 🏆