For fourteen seasons, Jon Delarosa was the man nobody could write off. 💪
The elevator mechanic from Washington Heights who turned himself into one of the most durable Open bodybuilders of his generation, he outlasted flashier rivals with balance, conditioning and sheer refusal to go away.
His story now has its final chapter: a career-best season in 2024, one last dance in Tampa in 2025, and a retirement announcement that closed the book on one of the sport’s great workhorses.
This is his full story, updated for 2026 — the injury that nearly ended everything, the pro card, four pro titles, four Mr. Olympia appearances, and the family life that comes next.
Jon Delarosa Quick Facts
| Full Name | Jonathan “Jon” Delarosa |
| Born | May 29, 1984 — New York City, New York, USA |
| Age | 42 years old (in 2026) |
| Height | 5’7″ (170 cm) |
| Contest Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Off-Season Weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Division | IFBB Pro League Men’s Open Bodybuilding |
| Pro Card | 2011 NPC USA Championships (heavyweight class winner) |
| Pro Wins | 4 — Chicago Pro 2015, Toronto Pro 2019, Puerto Rico Pro 2019, Tampa Pro 2024 |
| Mr. Olympia | 4 appearances (2014, 2015, 2019, 2024); best placing 12th |
| Status | Retired — announced August 3, 2025 |
Early Life: Washington Heights and a Career-Changing Injury 🏈
Jonathan Delarosa was born on May 29, 1984, in New York City, the son of Dominican parents, and raised in Washington Heights in upper Manhattan.
Bodybuilding was in the house from day one. His father and uncle were both keen followers of the sport, and the magazines lying around at home did the rest.
Delarosa was a talented high-school football player first — until a serious injury shattered his coccyx and sacrum late in a season.
Surgery followed, then an infection, and the young athlete spent close to six months bedridden, watching his strength melt away.
That enforced pause changed his life. Two years later he was standing on a bodybuilding stage — and, as he put it, he never looked back.
The amateur results came quickly: heavyweight honours at the 2009 NPC Atlantic States and the light-heavyweight title at the 2009 NPC Junior Nationals marked him out as a future pro.
All the while, he earned his living as an elevator mechanic in New York — contest preps fitted around a full-time manual job. 🔧
The Road to the Pro Card 🏆
The breakthrough arrived in Las Vegas in July 2011, at the NPC USA Championships — at the time the biggest amateur contest in the sport’s history.
Delarosa added serious mass to his frame and muscled his way to the top of the heavyweight class, earning his IFBB pro card and nearly taking the overall title from Steve Kuclo.
His pro debut came the following spring, and it was no quiet apprenticeship: 5th at the 2012 New York Pro, then 2nd at the 2012 Toronto Pro.
Over his first three pro seasons he stacked up six top-three finishes, including runner-up at the 2014 Europa Orlando and thirds in New York, Toronto and at the Arnold Classic Brazil.
That consistency carried him onto the biggest stage of all: at the 2014 Mr. Olympia he placed 14th on debut, in a line-up where fellow iron veteran Johnnie Jackson finished 11th.
Pro Wins and the Olympia Record 🥇
The first pro title landed in July 2015, when Delarosa won the Wings of Strength Chicago Pro — the statement win of his early career. He followed it with 2nd at the Vancouver Pro and a second Olympia appearance that autumn.
In 2017 he was runner-up at both the New York Pro and the Toronto Pro Supershow, knocking on the door of another win.
Then came 2018, the hardest year of his life. His marriage to IFBB Figure pro Swann Delarosa ended, he left New York, and he rebuilt from a corner of Florida — training at Flex Lewis’s private Dragon’s Lair gym under coach Neil “Yoda” Hill.
The rebuild produced a fairytale 2019: Delarosa won the Toronto Pro Supershow and the Puerto Rico Pro, took 4th at the New York Pro, and placed 12th at the Mr. Olympia.
After a 3rd place at the 2020 New York Pro and a pair of runner-up finishes at Tampa and Chicago in 2023, his best season of all arrived at the age of 40.
In 2024 he placed 4th at both the Arnold Classic in Ohio and the Arnold Classic UK, then won the Tampa Pro — beating Jordan Hutchinson and Mohamed Foda — to qualify for his fourth Mr. Olympia, where he matched his career-best 12th place. 🏅
Training Style: Heavy, Methodical, Back First 🎯
Delarosa’s training was always blue-collar: planned, disciplined and heavy, with every session mapped out in advance.
His back was his trademark body part and his favourite to train — built on staples like heavy deadlifts, the lift he loved most.
Calf raises sat at the other end of the list, but the methodical approach never changed: one body part at a time, full focus, no shortcuts.
Contest prep, for Delarosa, was a numbers game — food weighed, sessions logged, and the same basic lifts progressed patiently for months at a time.
That blue-collar consistency put him in the same workhorse bracket as men like Nathan De Asha — pros who stayed dangerous for a decade by simply never going away.
His support crew mattered too. His retirement message thanked training partners including his father “Pop” Delarosa, Juan “Diesel” Morel and fellow New York pro Akim Williams.
Jon Delarosa in 2026: Retirement and Family First 🔮
Delarosa’s final contest was the 2025 Tampa Pro, where the defending champion placed 6th on August 2, 2025 — behind the man he had beaten a year earlier, Jordan Hutchinson.
The next day, August 3, 2025, he announced his retirement on Instagram: “Every story has a beginning, a middle and finally the end… I’m closing this chapter of my life as hard as it is, because this is all I know, for something with a deeper purpose!”
He thanked the IFBB Pro League and the Manion family, his mentor Victor Martinez — the “Dominican Dominator” who took a young kid from Washington Heights under his wing — and Bev’s Gym owner Steve Weinberger.
The deeper purpose is family. In 2026 Delarosa is focused on home life with his wife Taylor, and the couple hope to start a family soon.
Business kept him close to his roots, too: back in 2018 he joined Victor Martinez in announcing the first IFBB pro contest ever held in the Dominican Republic, the country of his family’s heritage.
He has not left the sport entirely: in March 2026 he was still sharing his eye for the Open division publicly, joining Antoine Vaillant in giving their top predictions for the 2026 Arnold Classic UK.
Frequently Asked Questions ❓
How old is Jon Delarosa?
Jon Delarosa was born on May 29, 1984, in New York City, so he is 42 years old in 2026.
How tall is Jon Delarosa, and what does he weigh?
He stands 5’7″ (170 cm). His listed competition weight is 225 lb (102 kg), rising to around 265 lb (120 kg) in the off-season.
When did Jon Delarosa turn pro?
He earned his IFBB pro card at the 2011 NPC USA Championships in Las Vegas, where he won the heavyweight class and pushed overall winner Steve Kuclo hard for the title.
How many pro shows did Jon Delarosa win?
Four: the 2015 Chicago Pro, the 2019 Toronto Pro Supershow, the 2019 Puerto Rico Pro and the 2024 Tampa Pro. He also competed at four Mr. Olympias (2014, 2015, 2019 and 2024), with a best placing of 12th.
When did Jon Delarosa retire?
He announced his retirement on Instagram on August 3, 2025, the day after placing 6th at the Tampa Pro — the show he had won the year before. He said he was closing the chapter to focus on a deeper purpose, including starting a family with his wife Taylor.
Is Jon Delarosa making a comeback in 2026?
No comeback has been announced. As of 2026 he is retired from competition, focused on family life, and still appears in bodybuilding media as an analyst and fan of the sport.
The Bottom Line ✅
Jon Delarosa never won with freaky size or hype. He won with balance, conditioning, heavy work and a refusal to disappear — from a hospital bed as a teenager to four Olympia stages across a decade.
Four pro titles, a career-best season at 40, and a farewell on his own terms: the kid from Washington Heights got everything the sport had to give him. 🏋️