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Canadas Best Chances to Win the 2022 Olympia - Classic Physique

By: 
Roger “Rock” Lockridge

Olympia season is upon us. We are less than three weeks away from the biggest weekend in bodybuilding, and everyone is as excited for this as they are the holidays in general. The fans watching live and on pay-per-view get see the greatest physique athletes in the world compete for the sport’s top honors. The athletes themselves get to face the judges and pose down for the opportunity to become the world champion of their divisions.

Between now and the Olympia, which will take place December 16th through 18th, we are going to break down the best chances for Canadian athletes in each of the 11 pro divisions. We’re going to start with what may be the most obvious pick – Classic Physique.

The official lineup of qualified athletes is below. There’s a chance a few of these athletes won’t compete for various reasons, but these men get to say they are one of the best in the world for the Classic Physique division. We will highlight Canadian competitors in bold, then break down their chances of success at the Olympia.

  • Brady Barnes (USA)
  • Darren Farrell (Ireland)
  • Terrence Ruffin (USA)
  • Georgian Andrei Birica Anghel (Romania)
  • Robert Wichman (USA)
  • Michael Daboul (Syria)
  • Chris Bumstead (Canada)
  • Breon Ansley (USA)
  • Peter Molnar (Hungary)
  • Alex Cambronero (Costa Rica)
  • Mike Sommerfeld (Germany)
  • Jorge Herrera (USA)
  • Jose Maria Mete Bueriberi (Spain)
  • Ruben Lopez Reyes (Spain)
  • Mehdi Larijani (USA)
  • Lenny Wicks (USA)
  • Ahmed El Halawani (Egypt)
  • Logan Franklin (USA)
  • Ramon Rocha Querioz (Brazil)
  • Anthony Casado (Canada)
  • Kyrylo Khudaiev (Ukraine)
  • Mateo Vaihu (New Zealand)
  • Mohamed Amine Fakhfakh (Tunisia)
  • Urs Kalecinski (Germany)
  • Junior Javorski (Brazil)
  • Tony Duong (USA)
  • Vahid Badpei (Iran)
  • Darwin Andres Uribe Aristizabal (Colombia)
  • Lamar Shaw (USA)
  • Alexander Westermeier (Germany)
  • Carlos Dommar (USA
  • Neil Currey (UK)
  • Camilo Diaz (Colombia)
  • Tyler Johnson (Canada)
  • Emanuele Ricotti (Italy)
  • Jaehun Park (South Korea)
  • Marco Ruz (France)
  • Ali Poladvand (Iran)
  • Fabian Mayr (Austria)
  • Jonathan Pelkey (USA)
  • Jaepil Song (South Korea)
  • Chen Kang (China)
  • Gabriel Zancanelli (Brazil)
  • Josh Eastham (UK)
  • Courage Opara (USA)
  • Valentin Petrov (Bulgaria)
  • Blake Course (Canada)
  • Giuseppe Zagarella (Italy)
  • Denis Romanov (Russia)
  • Fabio Junior (Brazil)
  • Christopher Hunte (USA)
  • Wesley Vissers (Netherlands)
  • Grant Pieterse (New Zealand)
  • Jeff Hallenbeck (USA)
  • Julian Castano (Colombia)
  • Jesus Rodriguez Sendra (Spain)
  • Marcus Perry (USA)
  • Patrik Herczik (Czech Republic)
  • Abdullah Al Sharafi (Kuwait)
  • Dancovea Anderson (USA)
  • Woilid Baatout (France)
  • Adam Bomert (Poland)
  • Anthony Barbera III (USA)

 

Canada’s Chances

Chris Bumstead

“CBum” is the three-time defending champion, and let’s call it as it is. Many experts, insiders, and even athletes feel that if he is as good, or better than he was in 2021, then a fourth title is a slam dunk. He has been training and preparing in Florida, and he’s now working with a new coach, Hany Rambod. All signs point to the direction that may lead to the best version of the 27-year-old megastar that we’ve seen yet. At this stage of the game, it would take a monumental mistake combined with the best form of a competitor to knock him off.

Anthony Casado

Casado qualified for this show by winning the 2021 Toronto Pro Supershow, which was an early 2022 Olympia qualifier. He has a lot of potential to grow and rise to prominence, but he will also need time to meet that potential. With established names such as Urs Kalecinski, Terrence Ruffin, two-time Olympia winner Breon Ansley, and Ramon Rocha Querioz in the show, the top five will very likely not be possible. If he reveals a lot of new size with the conditioning he brought at Toronto, then top 15 could be a possibility. The top ten would be a shocker, but anything is possible at the Olympia.

Tyler Johnson

Johnson won the 2022 Toronto Pro, which also qualified him for this year’s Olympia. No, that is not a typo. Like Casado, this was also his first pro win, and his first Olympia qualification. The forecast for Johnson reads similar to Casado’s as well. He could potentially make the top 15, and he as an athlete should shoot for top 10. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. There are still several established names that he would have to clear in order to make that ranking.

Blake Course

Course won the 2022 Lenda Murray Savannah Pro to punch his ticket to Las Vegas. He sported a mustache like Bumstead is famous for, and he has symmetry and proportions that are perfect for this division. He actually defeated an Olympia qualified competitor in Christopher Hunte to take that victory, which is a check mark in Course’s favor. Hunte finished 15th in the 2020 Olympia, so Course could logically see himself in the top 15 as well so long as his prep goes according to plan.

Keep checking back to Muscle Insider as we continue to preview each of the pro divisions leading up to the big weekend in Las Vegas. You can also order the pay-per-view at www.olympiaproductions.com so you can watch all the action as it unfolds at the 2022 Olympia weekend.

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