"Lunsford may not even be able to race at 212," Dan Solomon outlined Derek's problem

American professional bodybuilder Derek Lunsford made his first appearance at the Olympia 212 Showdown in 2017, where he came in as a great fifth place finisher. The following year, he managed to take second place at Olympia! A year later, he placed second again behind Kamal Elgargni. Then a year after that , the winner was the "pocket bodybuilder", Shaun Clarida, and Derek even finished fourth!

So it wasn't until last year's event that he was clearly the best, that he finally lived up to the hopes that had been pinned on him.

Derek Lunsford - 212 Olympia 2021

During this season, there has been a lot of speculation about whether or not Derek can defend his title. Whatever your guess, it's possible that Lunsford won't even make the 212lb division this year because he can't make weight. This fact was pointed out by President Dan Solomon in a recent interview with Olympia TV.

"So Derek Lunsford's situation is more unique than any other. First of all, he's the reigning 212 champion. He hasn't even had a chance to step in and defend his 212 title yet, that's the first thing. But then we have the health issue. I'm not saying Derek has a health problem, Derek is very healthy, so let me be clear. Here's why it's a health issue. Derek is not close to 212lb at this point. We've seen it.

Derek is much heavier than 212lb. Then we ask ourselves what his body has to go through to get below 212lbs. That's a legitimate question, right? We all wonder about that.

I talked to his trainer, Hany Rambod. We've all communicated about viability and safety when he got under that weight. So, yes, the Derek Lunsford thing is one we've never encountered.

Our reigning champion may not even be able to compete at 212 because his body has grown at such a feverish pace."