Hossein Karimi (bodybuilder)

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Hossein Karimi, born March 25, 1992, in Ahvaz, Iran, is an Iranian professional bodybuilder and IFBB world champion. He is the first and only Iranian man to compete in Mr. Olympia in the men’s physique division. He earned his pro card in 2022 after winning a pro show and competed at Olympia Las Vegas that year.

Karimi started as a top athlete in powerlifting and bench press and was invited to Iran’s national teams in all three sports. He began bodybuilding at 13, won his first national powerlifting title in 2007, and later set a world bench press record. In 2018–2019 he switched to muscular physique, won several international events including Dubai Muscle Beach, and became Iran’s IFBB world champion in muscular physique in 2019 as the country’s sole representative. In 2021 he placed first in Class C at NPC Worldwide Russia. He has been invited to Iran’s national teams three times: 2010 (powerlifting), 2013 (bench press), and 2019 (muscular physique).