2020 Olympia Mens Physique Contest Report

by Ramandeep Kaur Monday, December 21, 2020

Olympia Contest Coverage Sponsored by BODYPRO Gym

When it comes to the Men’s Physique category, it has always been a battle between the top contenders. This year shaped up to be nothing less than just that. It was Mark Anthony Wingson that became the first Canadian to be crowned as an Olympia Champion, as well as the very first Men’s Physique Mr. Olympia. After that we witnessed Jeremy Buendia hold the title for 4 years consecutively. It was in Buendia’s attempt for his 5^th straight title, we witnessed Brandon Hendrickson steal the title away from him in 2018. Last year brought a new Olympia Champion once again when Raymont Edmonds earned the top spot.

This year was playing out to be an awfully close contest between the two Olympia Champions, as well as Muscle Insider cover model Andre Ferguson, and Kyron Holden. Prejudging and Finals did not disappoint in any way, especially when it comes to the entertainment value these incredible athletes brought to stage. When all was said and done, it would be Brandon Hendrickson once again crowned as the new Men’s Physique Mr. Olympia Champion. It is extremely rare for any Olympia Champion to lose their title, only to go on to reclaim that title again later.

Raymont Edmonds did not bring anything less than a stellar physique, but it was just not enough to overcome the improvements Hendrickson made in his return this year. Raymont has a tall, full physique, with nice muscle bellies. We feel it may be his posing that left a little to be desired by the judges. He tends to have a very relaxed front pose, compared to the other competitors in the division.

Kyron Holden finished in 3^rd place at the 2019 Olympia. Kyron made some great improvements by the time he went on to a 1st place finish at the 2019 Legion Sports Fest Pro. He did put on a lot of mass since that time, making him almost unrecognizable in his appearance this year at the 2020 Olympia. Holden finished again in 3^rd place, with a very impressive physique. If he continues to improve like he did this year, it may not be long before we see him claiming the top spot.

Jeremy Potvin is a name that has not been in the highlights as of late. He finished in 3^rd place in his Olympia debut in 2016, slipped down to 5^th place at the 2017 Olympia, and continued a slide down to 10^th place in the 2018 Olympia. Potvin chose to sit out last year’s Olympia, to focus on improvements. This move seems to have really paid off, seeing him win the 2019 Tournament of Champions Pro Men's Physique. He continued to work on fine-tuning his physique, bringing him right back into the conversation with a 4^th place finish in the 2020 Olympia.

One surprise this weekend was seeing Andrei Deiu' make his way into the top 5 this year, in his Olympia debut. Andrei has built up a huge social media following but has not been talked about a lot when it comes to Men’s Physique competitions. Deiu' really made a splash at the 2020 Olympia contest, bringing a very impressive physique that was enough to give the judges what they want to see.

What we found to be the biggest surprise of the Men’s Physique division this year, was our Muscle Insider cover model Andre Ferguson placing outside of the top 5. Andre was making his 6^th Olympia appearance and was expected to be in the fight for 1^st place. After winning the 2017 Toronto Pro SuperShow, Ferguson went on to 3 consecutive Arnold Classic in Men’s Physique from 2018-2020. Andre was also the runner-up to Raymont at last year’s Olympia. From what we understand, Ferguson seemed to have pumped up too hard prior to stage and ended up holding excess water. He was just not as sharp as we are used to seeing him on stage. We can only imagine that this will ignite an even bigger fire in him to come back better next year.

Bhuwan Chauhan (dual citizen Canada and India) was the only Canadian competing this year in the Men’s Physique division. Bhuwan made his pro debut at the 2018 Vancouver Pro, taking home 5^th place. He came back and redeemed himself at the 2019 Vancouver Pro taking home 1^st place and earning him his first Olympia qualification. After placing 16^th at last year’s contest, Bhuwan went on to win the 2020 Border States Pro. This year Chauhan did bring an improved physique, which resulted in an improved placing up to 15^th in the 2020 Olympia lineup. Keep your eyes on this young up and comer. We expect to see big things from him.