David Hughes: Recent Terre Haute resident Derek Lunsford wins Mr. Olympia

Nov. 10—Any Terre Haute residents or recent Indiana State students remember working out in the same fitness center with Derek Lunsford a few years ago?

Even if you didn't know him, he was kinda hard to miss.

Not tall at all, about 5-foot-6. But what he lacks in height, he makes up for in width and thickness.

Back so broad that he has to tilt his body to walk through a normal-sized doorway, even if nobody else is around. Thighs so massive that any tree trunk would be happy to trade places. Biceps bulging so high ... you get the point.

Anyway, Lunsford — a former Pike Central High School wrestler who competed at 130 pounds as a senior before graduating in 2011 and a former Vincennes University and ISU student — won the men's open division of the Mr. Olympia professional bodybuilding extravaganza last Saturday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

That's relatively close to his home in Tampa, Fla., where he lives with his wife Jhelsin Mabaga Lunsford.

"It's been like a dream to be quite honest," Derek told me via text this week. "It's seriously unbelievable. For days after the show, I'm running on just a few hours of sleep since. But I'm on this high of adrenaline. I can't shake the excitement of it all."

Bleacherreport.com said Lunsford received $400,000 for his victory.

The rest of the top five, in order, were 2022 Olympia overall champion Hadi Choopan, Samson Dauda, 2019 Olympia overall champ Brandon Curry and Andrew Jacked. They're the modern cream of the crop in the highly disciplined, physique-flexing, strict-dieting sport of bodybuilding ... and Lunsford beat all of them.

If you're not familiar with Mr. Olympia, here is a list of past overall winners. You'll probably recognize at least a few of the names.

The late Larry Scott (1965 and 1966); the late Sergio Oliva (1967, 1968 and 1969); Arnold Schwarzenegger (1970 through 1975 and 1980 when he made his famous comeback); the late Franco Columbu (1976 and 1981); Frank Zane (1977, 1978 and 1979); the late Chris Dickerson (1982); Samir Bannout (1983); Lee Haney (eight times between 1984 and 1991); Dorian Yates (six times between 1992 and 1997); Ronnie Coleman (eight times between 1998 and 2005); Jay Cutler (2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 and not the former NFL quarterback); Dexter Jackson (2008); Phil Heath (seven times between 2011 and 2017); Shawn Rhoden (2018); Curry (2019); Mamdouh Elssbiay (2020 and 2021); Choopan (2022); and Lunsford (2023).

Lou Ferrigno — the Incredible Hulk on the popular late-1970s, early-1980s television show by the same name — competed in Mr. Olympia more than once and never won it. He was freakin' huge too.

To put this into a mainstream-sports perspective, if Schwarzenegger was the Peyton Manning or Tom Brady of pro bodybuilding, Lunsford has become ... let's say Patrick Mahomes (with a chance to climb higher, just like Mahomes).

Lunsford, 30, made the jump from the Olympia's 212 division — for competitors no taller than 5-6 and weighing no more than 212 pounds — to the overall in 2022. He had captured the Olympia 212 title in 2021, so he decided it was time to bulk up and go against the heavyweights.

A year ago, Lunsford placed second behind Choopan, a native of Iran, in the Mr. Olympia overall in Las Vegas.

On Saturday in Orlando, their positions were reversed.

Lunsford reportedly competes at about 225 pounds and lets his bodyweight rise to 240ish during the off-season, although he cares more about his on-stage appearance than any scale numbers on contest day.

Lunsford earned his pro card from the International Federation of BodyBuilders (more commonly known as the IFBB) in 2017 after winning the National Physique Committee's USA Championships overall title for amateurs in Las Vegas.

"When I first started to compete [as an amateur], my goal was to shock the stage," Lunsford said in a 2015 Tribune-Star interview. "I think I pretty much accomplished that, but I was not completely satisfied. I knew I could be even better."

As it turned out, a lot better.

Lunsford is now the 18th Mr. Olympia in the 59-year history of the iconic event. He's the first two-division Olympia champion (212 in 2021 and overall in 2023) as well.

"History was made this [past] weekend," he proclaimed with such joy that I could feel his enthusiasm radiating through my phone.

Last Saturday, Lunsford also received the People's Champion award, as chosen by the fans, on the Mr. Olympia stage.

"I'm so humbled by the masses of people responding to me in such a positive and supportive way!" he told me. "Winning the People's Champion award proved to be true after I had won [Mr. Olympia]. That's actually the best part of it all. If I had won [the overall championship], but I didn't have the feeling so many people were genuinely happy for me and screaming and crying when I won ... I don't think I would feel as happy as I do.

"You should have seen the swarm of people from my perspective on stage after winning. I expected people to start exiting, but everyone stayed. I mean everybody! People rushing the stage ... all the way to the people in the back standing on chairs with their phones in the air. It was like an ocean of people excited, cheering for me. Unreal!"

As one might expect, Lunsford has received tons of phone calls and texts from people congratulating him since then. But he still had one more message to get across in our texts.

"All glory to God," he emphasized. "It was His plan, not my own. Had I won on my own ... it wouldn't have been nearly this good. So it has all been in God's hands the whole time!"

Lunsford offers a website for fans wanting to purchase his bodybuilding apparel and possibly interact. It's dereklunsford.com.

Congratulations, my brother in iron!

Tribune-Star sports reporter David Hughes can be reached after 4 p.m. by phone at (812) 231-4224 (psst, just text him on his cell instead); by email at david.hughes@tribstar.com; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.