Canadas Best Chances At The 2023 Arnold Classic Wheelchair
The 2023 Arnold Classic will host seven IFBB Pro League competitions, and they will feature athletes from around the world looking to add their names to historic lists of champions. On the men’s side of the stage, there are the Men’s Open, Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, and Wheelchair competitions. The fields are stacked, but only the Wheelchair division will have Canadians competing.
The 2023 Arnold Classic Wheelchair competition may have the biggest lineup in the contest’s history. Ten of the best wheelchair bodybuilders on the planet will face fans and judges at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio on the weekend of March 3rd and 4th.
The favorite going into the show ais the man with the most championships in the show’s history – Harold Kelley. The five-time Olympia winner is also the holder of five Arnold trophies. He would have six of those as well if not for Gabriele Andriulli, who upset the champ in 2022. Kelley got his revenge by winning the Olympia in Las Vegas last December.
It will be a tall order for the other nine men to upset the man known as “King Kong” but there are two men from Canada who intend to give it their best shot.
Woody Belfort
Belfort just turned pro one year ago at the 2022 CPA Toronto Pro qualifier, and he then put that pro card to good use by taking first in the Toronto Pro that same weekend, thus earning his Olympia qualification. He would place sixth at the Olympia, which is impressive for an Olympia debut. Belfort must be considered a possibility for a top five or perhaps a top three spot in this contest. There wasn’t much time to improve between the Olympia and the Arnold, but perhaps he found ways to do so.
Tory Jones
Jones finished two spots behind Belfort at the Olympia in eighth place. That was also his career Olympia appearance. Like Belfort did in 2022, Jones turned pro in Toronto in 2021 and earned his way to the big stage by taking first in the Toronto Pro immediately after. Jones will be competing in Columbus for the first time, but the only three men in the lineup that beat him at the Olympia are Kelley, Jones, and Antoni Khadroui, who took third place. It’s within the realm of possibility that Canada has two top five finishers at this show.
Stay tuned to Muscle Insider for more previews and predictions for the 2023 Arnold Classic as well as other industry headlines as we get closer to the big weekend in Columbus. You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter @muscleinsider.