Lunsford received a special invitation to compete in the men’s open division at Mr. Olympia. Some people had a problem with Lunsford because other athletes had to win an Open pro qualifier in order to get an invitation. Iain Valliere took issue with the fact that there was no attempt to qualify.
Lunsford and his guest posed for a picture at the Pittsburgh Pro. His appearance made fans wonder if he would be invited to the Men’s Open division. He was granted permission to compete in the Open at Olympia by the IFBB Pro League yesterday.
Hany Rambod said earlier this year that Lunsford was struggling to make the weight for the 212 division. Adding fuel to the fire, Dan Solomon mentioned in the past that the reigning 212 champion was “nowhere near” the title at this time.
Lunsford was expected to get the invitation, but other people didn’t like how he got there. A rival of Lunsford stated that all athletes should be required to earn their qualification for the contest in order to get a special invitation.
After failing to qualify for the contest due to a positive Covid test, Mr. Big Ramy was invited to the contest in 2020. Special invitations were also given to Kai and the other person.
Lunsford was invited to the open class by winning first at the Legion Sports Fest Pro. He was dubbed the “Giant Killer” due to the resounding performance.
Iain Valliere is one of the freakiest mass monsters in the world and is a member of the men’s open division. Valliere got into a fight with BlessingAwodibu ahead of the Olympia. The two debated which was more important, size or aesthetic.
Iain Valliere Takes Issue with Derek Lunsford’s Special Invitation to Compete in Open at 2022 Olympia
Iain Valliere gave his opinion on the matter in a recent post on the social media site.
“212 Olympia champion Derek Lunsford_ receives a special invite to compete in the Men’s Open Bodybuilding at the 2022.”
Iain Valliere’s full comment can be found below.
“My main issue with it here is absolutely no effort was made to qualify and go through the proper channels like everyone else competing there, and there is still plenty of shows, so there is really no excuse not to.
He was in good shape all the way back in Pittsburg for the guest posing, he easily could have done a show and qualified, but instead he used the extra time to be better for the O and rely on an invite. Just not a kosher move IMO.”
Lunsford’s entry will pose a new threat to Valliere, who will also look to edge out one of his competitors. Valliere doesn’t think that Awodibu will be a challenge. He is going to smoke Valliere at the contest.
Lunsford has trained with a fifth placefinisher in the men’s open division. The two got together in the off-season to work on their skills.
Lunsford is a threat in the open class. He mentioned that Lunsford has the ability to defeat him, but Walker said it wasn’t happening this year. Lunsford will have a hard time with the size of the top five from last year.
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Many believe that the lineup of talent expected to compete in the Men’s Open division will be one of the greatest of all time.
Bodybuilders Iain Valliere and Chris Bumstead go through a killer quad workout.
Valliere wants to win the Sandow trophy this December, even though he will face Lunsford later in the season.
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