2023 Arnold Classic Rosters
The Arnold Classic is one of the most anticipated bodybuilding shows of the season, and the 35th edition of the event will be held in Columbus, OH on the weekend of Mar. 2-5, 2023. Seven pro divisions will be contested, including the main event – the Arnold Classic men’s open contest. Below are the updated competitor lists as of January 12, 2023.
Men’s Open
In the men’s open, the ante got upped significantly following the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger increased the winner’s prize from $200,000 to $300,000.
Because of that, there are now seven men in the lineup instead of six. including 2021 winner Nick Walker, who entered the contest following that prize announcement, two-time winner WIlliam Bonac, and two former Olympia 212 champions that plan to jump into the open for this show. One of them is the reigning Olympia 212 champ, Shaun Clarida.
- William Bonac
- Shaun Clarida
- Samson Dauda
- Kamal Elgargni
- Justin Rodriguez
- Akim WIlliams
- Nick Walker
Two other men were originally on this list – Charles Griffen and Blessing Awodibu. Griffen withdrew within minutes of the competitor list being revealed, while in a recent development, Awodibu dropped out in an Instagram post on January 10th, citing that he feels he needs more time for his body to recover from the prep for the Olympia, where he finished out of the top 15.
Classic Physique
The Classic Physique roster has nine IFBB Pro League athletes vying for the 2022 title. The roster is below in alphabetical order. There were ten men originally, but Neil Currey also announced on January 10th that he will not compete because he intends to move up to the open. It would actually benefit both athlete and the Arnold Classic if Currey was able to compete in the Open. It would be a great test for him against high-caliber athletes, and it would give fans another competitor that could make an impact.
- Jason Brown
- Alex Cambronero
- Urs Kalecinski
- Kyrylo Khudaiev
- Mehdi Larijani
- Courage Opara
- Ramon Rocha Quieroz
- Mike Sommerfeld
- Darwin Uribe
Men’s Physique
The Men’s Physique contest includes the reigning Arnold and Olympia champion, Erin Banks. Banks will face many of the competitors that he defeated at the Olympia in a rematch in Columbus. There are some big names in this lineup, including Diogo Montenegro and Carlos DeOliveira.
- Erin Banks
- Ali Bilal
- Vitor Chavez
- Carlos DeOliveira
- Juan Manuel Gomez
- Emmanuel Hunter
- Diogo Montenegro
- Jahvair Mullings
- Edvan Ferriera Palmeria
- Antoine Weatherspoon
Wheelchair
The biggest upset last year was when Gabriele Andriulli defeated Harold Kelley, who had previously been the contest’s only champion. Kelley redeemed himself by winning the Olympia in Las Vegas last month. Joining those two men are eight other athletes, that will inspire the fans in attendance and watching at home.
- Gabriele Andriulli
- Anand Arnold
- Woody Belfort
- James Berger
- Bradley Betts
- Tim Caldwell
- Tory Jones
- Harold Kelley
- Antoni Khadraoui
- Bryan Williams
Fitness
To the best of our knowledge, the Fitness division will have all ten of these ladies competing. With Oksana Grishina missing the Olympia due to injury, it will be great to see her return to the stage at the Arnold. The defending champion for this contest is Ariel Khadr.
- Ariel Khadr
- Jaclyn Baker
- Tiffany Chandler
- Oksana Grishina
- Allison Kramer
- Michelle Fredua-Mensah
- Minna Pajulahti
- Terra Plum
- Kristin Pope
- Tamara Vahn
Bikini
Out of all seven contests, this one may steal the show. Defending Olympia winner Maureen Blanquisco will face defending Bikini International winner Lauralie Chapados as well as past winners of both contests Jennifer Dorie and Ashley Kaltwasser. Both Chapados and Dorie have Canadian ties, and it would be great for their fans if they brought the title back to their home country.
- Lauralie Chapados
- Romina Basualdo
- Maureen Blanquisco
- Jennifer Dorie
- Ivanna Escandar
- Eli Fernandez
- Phoebe Hagan
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Ukanchi Onyejiaka
- India Paulino
Wellness
This lineup is intact as of this writing as well. Can Nunes repeat as Arnold champion, or will we see a second champion in the contest’s second edition? We will find out in seven weeks. Stay tuned to Muscle Insider for further developments of the Arnold Classic as well as other industry news as they develop.
- Isabelle Nunes
- Marissa Andrews
- Sunny Andrews
- Yarishna Ayala
- Angela Borges
- Julia Chitarra
- Rayane Fogel
- Kassandra Gillis
- Andrea Hrenko
- Giselle Machado
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