Hadi Choopan, “The Persian Wolf,” is the Iranian bodybuilder who carried a Sandow trophy home in 2022 — the first man from his country ever to win Mr. Olympia. 🐺
Since his 2019 Olympia debut he has never finished outside the top four at the sport’s biggest show. One title, three straight runner-up finishes and a famous fight with the US visa system have made him one of bodybuilding’s most dramatic stories.
This updated biography covers his early life in Iran, his amateur rise, every Olympia appearance year by year, his Arnold Classic wins, and why he missed the 2026 Mr. Olympia.
Hadi Choopan Quick Facts
| Full name | Hadi Choopan |
| Nickname | The Persian Wolf |
| Date of birth | September 26, 1987 |
| Age | 39 years old |
| Birthplace | Abnow, Fars province, Iran |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Contest weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Off-season weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Division | Men’s Open, IFBB Pro League |
| Biggest win | Mr. Olympia 2022 |
| Other major wins | Arnold Classic 2024, Arnold Classic UK 2024 |
| Coaches | Jamshid Owji (early career), Hany Rambod (long-time coach) |
| Family | Married, three children |
Early Life in Iran
Hadi Choopan was born on September 26, 1987, in Abnow, a village in Sepidan County, Fars province, in southern Iran.
His family was poor, and he started working at a young age to help support the household. He peddled goods and worked on construction sites, including plastering work alongside his brother.
He discovered bodybuilding in his early teens, around the age of 13, mimicking the poses of famous bodybuilders in front of his family. Friends and relatives teased the undersized youngster, but he kept training under coach Jamshid Owji.
The work ethic forged in those years — manual labour by day, training on top of it — became the foundation of the relentless style fans now associate with the Persian Wolf.
Rise Through the Amateur Ranks
Choopan collected 15 provincial gold medals in Fars and Tehran as a young competitor, then won his first national title in 2005.
His breakthrough on the world amateur stage came in the early 2010s. He took silver at the WBPF World Championships in 2012, then gold at the WBPF Asian Championships in 2013.
From 2013 to 2015 he won world amateur championship gold three years in a row, marking himself out as the best amateur in his class anywhere in the world.
In 2017 he won the Mr. Olympia Amateur overall title and stepped into the IFBB Pro League, immediately taking silver medals at the Sheru Classic, the Asia Grand Prix and the San Marino Pro.
He won the Portugal Pro in 2018 and the Vancouver Pro in 2019. But getting to the biggest stages in America would prove almost as hard as winning on them.
The Visa Battle
Visa problems have shadowed Choopan’s whole pro career. Difficulties getting a US visa kept him out of major American shows in 2018, and he was initially denied a visa again in 2019 before finally being approved in time for his Olympia debut.
In 2020 he arrived in the United States at the last minute and still placed fourth. In 2025 his visa reportedly arrived just 24 hours before his flight, according to coach Hany Rambod.
That long-running battle reached its lowest point in 2026, as explained below — but first, the record he built on stage.
Mr. Olympia Record, Year by Year
| Year | Placing | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3rd | Olympia debut; also voted People’s Champion |
| 2020 | 4th | Arrived in the US at the last minute |
| 2021 | 3rd | People’s Champion for a second time |
| 2022 | 1st | Mr. Olympia champion — first Iranian winner |
| 2023 | 2nd | Runner-up to Derek Lunsford |
| 2024 | 2nd | Runner-up to Samson Dauda |
| 2025 | 2nd | Runner-up to Derek Lunsford |
| 2026 | Withdrew | Visa issues — see below |
His 2019 debut remains one of the great Olympia introductions. Unknown to most American fans a week earlier, he finished third behind Brandon Curry and William Bonac and took home the fan-voted People’s Champion award.
The fields he broke into were stacked: the 2020 top four alone included champion Big Ramy and a returning Phil Heath, the seven-time winner chasing a record-tying eighth title.
The 2022 Win — and What Followed
On December 17, 2022, in Las Vegas, Choopan beat two-time defending champion Big Ramy and a deep field to win the Mr. Olympia title.
He became the 17th man to lift the Sandow trophy and the first Iranian champion in the contest’s history. He dedicated the victory to the women of Iran, and in February 2023 a statue was erected in his honour at home.
The title defence in 2023 ended in controversy. Derek Lunsford took the crown, and a frustrated Choopan removed his second-place medal and walked off stage — a moment widely criticised as poor sportsmanship, and one that followed him for months.
He answered the best way he knew how. In March 2024 he won the Arnold Classic in Columbus and the Arnold Classic UK in the same month, beating Samson Dauda at both shows.
At the 2024 Olympia he finished second to Dauda, and in 2025 he was second again as Lunsford reclaimed the title. Three straight runner-up finishes matched a streak only a handful of greats — Rich Gaspari, Jay Cutler and Kai Greene — have recorded.
Training Approach
Choopan is famous for two things: some of the best legs in the modern game, and conditioning that rivals anyone on stage.
For most of his pro career he has been coached by Hany Rambod, the most successful coach in Olympia history and the creator of the FST-7 training system, built around heavy work finished with high-volume “pump” sets.
His own sessions are known for intensity and short rest periods — often just 30 to 60 seconds between sets — keeping his heart rate high while he chases growth.
Rambod stepped back from hands-on coaching after the 2024 season, and for the 2026 season Choopan was reported to have teamed up with veteran coach Miloš Šarčev.
Hadi Choopan in 2026
Choopan opened his 2026 season at the Arnold Classic in March, placing third in a stacked Men’s Open field won by Andrew Jacked, with Nick Walker second.
His Olympia campaign then collapsed off stage. On August 26, 2026, he announced his withdrawal from the 2026 Mr. Olympia, explaining that his 10-year UAE Golden Visa had been deactivated.
He was stopped from boarding his flight from Shiraz to Dubai — the trip he needed to reach his US Embassy visa interview — and a second attempt via Tehran failed the same way. “With a heavy heart, I have decided to withdraw from the 2026 Mr. Olympia,” he wrote. “This is not the end.”
It was his first missed Olympia since his 2019 debut. The 2026 title in Las Vegas went to Nick Walker. Choopan, who turned 39 in September 2026, remains based in Iran with his wife and three children, still training and still holding lifetime Olympia eligibility as a former champion.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Hadi Choopan?
Hadi Choopan was born on September 26, 1987. He turned 39 years old in September 2026.
How tall is Hadi Choopan, and how much does he weigh?
Choopan is 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) tall. He competes at around 200 lb (91 kg) and weighs roughly 220 lb (100 kg) in the off-season.
How many Mr. Olympia titles has Hadi Choopan won?
He has won one Mr. Olympia title, in 2022, when he became the first Iranian champion. He also finished second three straight times, in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and won the Arnold Classic and Arnold Classic UK in 2024.
Why did Hadi Choopan miss the 2026 Mr. Olympia?
He withdrew in August 2026 after his UAE Golden Visa was deactivated. He was prevented from flying from Iran to Dubai, where he was due to attend his US visa interview, leaving no realistic way to complete the process before the contest.
Who coaches Hadi Choopan?
His first coach was Jamshid Owji. For most of his pro career he worked with Hany Rambod, and for the 2026 season he was reported to have joined forces with Miloš Šarčev.
The Bottom Line
From construction sites in Fars province to the top of the Olympia stage, Hadi Choopan’s career is a story of persistence — against bigger rivals, against doubters, and against a visa process that has fought him almost every single year.
One Sandow, two Arnold Classic titles and three straight Olympia runner-up finishes already place him among the greats of his era. Whether the Persian Wolf gets one more run at the title is now a question of paperwork as much as posing.
For more legendary careers, read our biographies of Kai Greene and the other champions linked throughout this page.