Canadian bodybuilding champion Iain Valliere officially retires.
Canadian bodybuilding star, Iain Valliere, made the announcement that he has officially retired from competitive bodybuilding.
The news of Iain’s retirement was not expected, especially when he was expected to compete at the 2023 Mr. Olympia.
Iain qualified for the 2023 Mr. Olympia, by winning the Toronto Supershow, earlier this year.
Iain used his official social media pages, to officially announce his retirement, with his wife, Melissa, by his side.
“We’re here to announce my departure from the stage of competitive bodybuilding. Yeah… I don’t even know where I start with this. This wasn’t a decision that came quickly. This is something that’s been on the back of my mind for well over a year. I think over the last few months it started to creep into my mind as more of a reality,” Iain Valliere revealed.
“I started to get older into my 30s and Melissa and I are at the phase where we want to have kids. The thought of the risks that I was putting myself in when you’re also pairing that with maybe a lack of desire and passion for actually competing. “
“It wasn’t a decision that came quickly. It’s something I could feel that’s been in the back of my mind for a while. I felt that really became apparent to me when I was still winning shows and it wasn’t making me excited anymore. The idea of competing at this year’s Olympia really didn’t make me excited anymore.
“I remember how I felt at my first two or three Olympias. I was so excited to get there and so excited to compete and to be a part of that experience. That wasn’t something that really felt like a goal that was in my mind, that was something that really made me excited. It was something I felt like I kind of done. I was starting to get anxious and excited for the next phase of my life.”
“I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I’m only 32, almost 33… but I started doing this when I was 18. So when you put it into context with someone who was competing from 25, that’s competing until 40 you know. I’ve done almost 30 bodybuilding shows and I’ve been a Pro for a decade.”
“It was just not something that I was feeling any excitement to do anymore. When you pair that with the potential health consequences associated with bodybuilding, it was just getting harder and harder in my mind to justify what I was doing.”
“I’m never going to stop going to the gym and training hard,” added Iain Valliere.
“That phase of my life being 280+ 99% of the year, the chemical side that comes with it, it was just not something that really felt like me anymore. I really could feel I was putting, pushing myself through the motions.”
“My body just didn’t want to be doing this anymore because my mind didn’t want to be doing it anymore. Obviously, it was a decision that wasn’t easy to pull the trigger on.”
“I was so hyper-focused on my fear of the future that it was just sucking me dry of any enjoyment of actually doing what I was doing. I think bodybuilding is awesome. I think that if you love bodybuilding, you should be a bodybuilder.”
“Even if I was to go to this year’s Olympia and place better than I’ve ever placed, say I came sixth, I don’t know how realistic that is but we’ll speak in hypotheticals, even if I was to… I would not feel any different. It wouldn’t make me more excited about bodybuilding.”
“It’s been a week since I really made this decision. About a week since I officially made the decision and it’s a week already that I’ve been eating when I’m hungry and eating when I want to eat. It’s been very liberating,” Iain concluded.
Competing at the highest level
Iain is not leaving the sport of competitive bodybuilding empty-handed, as he has managed to win five pro shows, which include the prestigious New York Pro in 2020, and two events close to his heart, the Vancouver Pro Show in 2022, and his final pro show, Toronto Supershow in 2023
The dream of every bodybuilder is to compete at the Mr. Olympia. Iain not only qualified, but he managed to place in the top ten on two occasions. At the 2020 and 2021 Mr. Olympia, Iain managed to place in the top ten by finishing in seventh place.
Iain started his bodybuilding career at a very young age, dominating the amateur bodybuilding scene between 2010 and 2014.
2014 was the year when Iain proved that he was ready to compete as a professional bodybuilder, by winning the overall title at the OPA Provincial Championships, and winning the bodybuilding overall title at the Latin America Amateur Olympia.
Iain did not waste any time, and started his professional bodybuilding career just a year later, in 2015. He placed 17th at the Orlando Show of Champions, but finished 5th at the Toronto Supershow.
As he continued to improve his physique, Iain’s placings also improved in the following years.
Iain started to really make a name for himself in 2019, when he placed in the top 5 at four pro shows, which included a second-place finish at the Toronto Pro Supershow, John DeLaRosa went on to win the show.
The improvements to Iain’s physique were more evident, and in 2020, Iain would finally be rewarded for his hard work and dedication by winning the New York Pro.
The victories did not stop there, as in 2021, Iain would walk away with the Texas and Tampa Pro titles. Ian also had to settle for second at the Arnold Classic, being edged out by Nick Walker.
Iain still had two trophies missing from his trophy cabinet, the Toronto and Vancouver titles.
In 2022, Iain would achieve his first goal by winning the Vancouver Pro and defeating another great Canadian competitor, Antoine Vaillant.
Finally, in 2023, Iain would achieve his final goal by winning the Toronto Supershow. At the time, Iain was still planning to compete at the 2023 Mr. Olympia, but destiny would change his course, and he would end up retiring before stepping on the Mr. Olympia stage for the fifth time in his career.
A successful coach
Iain not only had a very successful professional bodybuilding career, but he has also helped his brother-in-law, 4X Classic Physique Olympia winner, Chris Bunmstead, win three of his titles.
Iain Valliere’s Competition History
2010
OPA Ottawa Championships – 1st Junior Men’s, 3rd Men’s Heavyweight
2011
Canadian Championships – CBBF, Junior, 1st
OPA Provincial Championships – Junior, 1st
2013
OPA Ottawa Championships – 1st Men’s Super-Heavyweight & Overall Champion
2014
OPA Provincial Championships – 1st Men’s Super-Heavyweight & Overall Champion
Amateur Olympia Latin America – IFBB, Overall Winner
Amateur Olympia Latin America – IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st
2015
Orlando Show of Champions – IFBB, 17th
Toronto Pro – IFBB, 5th
2016
Toronto Pro – IFBB, Open, 7th
Vancouver Pro Championships – IFBB, Open, 9th
2018
Indy Pro – IFBB, Open, 4th
Olympia – IFBB, Open, 14th
Vancouver Pro Championships – IFBB, Bodybuilding, 4th
2019
Portugal Pro – IFBB, 3rd
Tampa Pro Championships – IFBB, Open, 3rd
Toronto Pro – IFBB, Open, 2nd
Vancouver Pro Championships – IFBB, Open, 4th
2020
New York Pro Championships – IFBB, Open, 1st
Olympia – IFBB, Open, 7th
Tampa Pro Championships – IFBB, Open, 2nd
2021
Tampa Pro – IFBB, Open, 1st
Texas Pro – IFBB, Open, 1st
Arnold Classic Ohio – IFBB, Open, 2nd
Mr. Olympia – IFBB, Open, 7th
2022
Vancouver Pro – IFBB, Open, 1st
Mr. Olympia – IFBB, Open, 11th
2023
Toronto Pro Supershow – IFBB, Open, 1st
We at Evolutionofbodybuilding.net would like to wish Iain all the best, and look forward to seeing what he has planned for the next chapter of his life.
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