by Christian Duque
There has been a growing amount of speculation in the sport of bodybuilding with regards to whether or not Mr. Olympia Brandon Curry will, in fact, be retiring from the sport. When the news broke that him and longtime coach, Abdullah had parted ways it sent shockwaves throughout the sport. But their break was not the typical one. These were two very, very good friends that continue to be so and did great things together. Sometimes coaches and clients simply part ways, but the fact is Brandon is in his 40s and his placings have not improved over the years has led to speculation. That’s not to say that they are not good places and that is definitely not to say that he is not capable of winning another Olympia. But he went from placing Top 5 to then winning his first Sandow to then taking a couple of run-ups and then a couple of fourth places. These are tremendous placings and he has never left the prestigious Top 5, but he has not been able to claim a second Sandow.
Given that reality and the fact that he’s in his 40s and given the fact that his coach has moved on, it has created a sense of an impending retirement in the hearts and mind of a lot of bodybuilding fans. There was a time not too long ago when the message boards, reigned supreme, and this type of topic would have kept the people going for months at a time.
I’m going to say that I don’t think Brandon is going to retire and I’m going to talk about this position. I certainly invite anyone to challenge me with their feedback in the comments, but I’m going to explain my position as best as I can. And I say as best as I can, because really, we are speculating. I am speculating that Brandon will not retire while other people are speculating that he will. At the end of the day, anything short of a formal announcement from the champ is going to essentially be people just talking.
At the end of the day, that’s what we often do in this sport. There are tons of people that we think are ready to hang the trunks up and there are other people that we perpetually hope will come back. People like Kai Greene come to mind. I don’t know that he will ever come back, but the fans will never stop hoping. That being said the fact that Brandon competed at last years’s Olympia in my opinion keeps him in the running as an active competitor. I understand that he normally competes at the Arnold and did not do so this year, but I don’t think that is enough inactivity to suggest that The Prodigy will in fact retire.
Now with regard to his age, I think that that is a bunch of poppycock. I know that a lot of people like to say that once a competitor crosses the 40 year threshold that it’s all downhill from there but that’s not a definite. Clearly, whoever believes this is not familiar with guys like Shawn Rhoden, Dexter Jackson, Tony Freeman, the list just goes on and on. Who can forget Al Beckles, who was darn near 50 years of age or Vince Taylor?
While I understand that once a bodybuilder gets into their 40s, and at that level, it becomes all the more difficult, but we are talking about genetic freaks with work ethics second to none. These are not your average gym-goers at your local gym or health spa. So for these guys, they don’t care if it’s going to be harder. They don’t care if they’re going to have to train a little bit differently because their muscles and tendons aren’t what they were in their 20s or 30s. I don’t think that age alone is going to stop Brandon.
Now the other thing I would like to point out to is that Brandon does not have any serious injuries. He may not have any injuries at all. He’s a bodybuilder who is a very complete guy who knows how to dial it in and who also has brought in tremendous size over the years. He has been able to hit that sweet spot where he is able to make vast improvements, even though he is at the elite Olympia level. So therefore could he win another Olympia? Absolutely. I don’t think that there really is any doubt in my mind of that.
I mean OK so he has not won one since 2019 but like I said earlier, he has never left the Top 5, either. And anyone in the Top 5 is a potential threat to winning the title. Look at Brandon’s own journey. The year before he won the Olympia he was Top 5. So for all the people saying that he’s taken second places and fourth places, and that that somehow makes him less of a threat to win the Olympia, they have no idea what they’re talking
2023 Olympia Behind the Scenes Backstage
I will say that the pressure for Brandon to win another Olympia isn’t there anymore. I would say maybe it was there in 2020 or maybe 2021. But once you’ve won the title and lost it – of course you want to get it back – but once it’s a little bit more distant, then you compete again out of love of the sport. That doesn’t mean that he can’t win another Olympia. It just means that the pressure of winning it back is not weighing him down. Plus, this is a guy who has multiple sponsorships, who trains in Kuwait, and who also owns his own supplement company, his own gym. He’s got a family; he’s got a lot on his plate. Winning another Olympia I’m sure is a priority, but it is certainly not amongst his highest priorities. I would say that for Brandon, his family, and his businesses, and maybe even some other things take precedent to winning another Olympia. I think this has also allowed him more longevity in his bodybuilding career because he doesn’t have to train like someone that must win another Olympia or die trying.
So I really don’t anticipate Curry formally retiring from bodybuilding. I think that as of the last couple of years, he has already semi retired in the sense that he is doing less appearances and maybe competing less. But I will admit him not doing the Arnold this year did raise an eyebrow or two. But maybe moving forward he will simply do the Olympia in terms of competing and in terms of appearances he will probably be seen at large expose like the Arnold or FIBO and maybe maintain an active social media. Beyond that, maybe that is all he is going to do. At least with regards to competitive physique based sports.
I don’t necessarily think Brandon needs to do more and by virtue of being a past Olympia champion he is automatically qualified for all future Mr. Olympias. Therefore there is absolutely no reason for him to do a warm-up show or any other show in order to be able to compete at the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding.
I would say unless we don’t see him on stage at the 2024 Olympia, then it doesn’t really matter if he has broken with his longtime coach, it doesn’t really matter if he didn’t do this year’s Arnold, and it doesn’t even really matter if he doesn’t make many more appearances. As long as he does the Olympia and maintains his social media then there really is no reason for him to do anything more in bodybuilding.
As always, I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Be sure to copy and paste the link to this article to all your social media feeds. I guarantee you it will generate some lively conversation. And finally, do you think Brandon could win another Olympia? I certainly do! Do you think he’s retiring? I don’t. What say you?
