2024 Chicago Pro Mens Predictions
Contest Coverage is Sponsored by MUTANT
The Chicago Pro is rich in tradition, and the 2024 edition of the show will be no different. This event takes place on July 18-20, and it features 10 of the 11 pro divisions, all of which will award a qualification to the Olympia, if they don’t have one already.
We’re going to take a look at the Men’s Open divisions and try to guess who will leave Chi-town as champions. Make sure you stay tuned to Muscle Insider to see our women’s picks in a separate article.
Men’s Open Bodybuilding
- Slavoj Bednar
- Tim Budesheim
- Phil Clahar
- Stan De Longeaux
- Anthony Dellaventura
- Nathan Epler
- Mohamed Foda
- Jordan Hutchinson
- Brady King
- Seungchul Lee
- Justin Maki
- Reece Mcdonald
- Hassan Mostafa
- Felix Norman
- Sarhan Sarhan
- Robin Strand
- Vladyslav Sukhoruchko
- Liang Yan
The Men’s Open lineup has Olympia-level competitors such as Hassan Mostafa, Robin Strand, and Phil Clahar as well as athletes that have been in the running at multiple shows like Tim Budesheim and Slavoj Bednar. An X-factor to watch is former 212 competitor Nathan Epler, who is now in the Open. Fresh off a runner-up finish in Vancouver, we see Budesheim pulling out the win with Strand and Clahar joining him in the top three.
- Tim Budesheim
- Robin Strand
- Phil Clahar
NOTE: The IFBB Pro League website has Kristoffer Berner on the competitor list, but sadly, Berner passed away earlier this week at the age of 42. Our condolences go out to his family and loved ones.
212 Bodybuilding
- Marcello Alfonsi
- Peter Burmester
- Peter Castella
- Mike Condell
- Bo Lewis
- Darryl Mayfield
- Gary Ullric
- Christopher Vitro
- Morad Zahir
Bo Lewis is coming off a second-place finish at the 2024 Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro. He will come into Chicago even more determined to take that top spot. Standing in his way will be eight fellow competitors, including Michael Condell, who was second at the 2024 South Florida Pro, and 2022 Chicago Pro runner-up Peter Castella. We are also excited to see one of the newest IFBB Pros Marcello Alfonsi jumping into this 212 lineup, after an impressive IFBB Pro Debut in Men’s Open Bodybuilding at the Vancouver Pro last weekend. If Lewis is a little better here than he was in Atlanta, the show will be his.
- Bo Lewis
- Michael Condell
- Peter Castella
Classic Physique
- Filippe Abreu
- Angel Bajana
- Terrence Bonds
- Camilo Diaz
- Carlos Dommar
- Rohan Duncan
- Jonathan Esparza
- Austin Espy
- Eddie Lusk III
- Aaron Owens
- Marcus Perry
- Denis Romanov
- Hamzah Saeed
- Wil Vaughn
- Kellen Wilson
15 men will grace the stage for Classic Physique. One of them is the defending champion, Marcus Perry, who needs the win to qualify for the Olympia. He will compete for the first time in 2024 at this show. He could very well be standing alongside Terrence Bonds in the first callout, and he has placed in the top five twice already this year. Another threat is Camilo Diaz, who will compete for the fifth time this season. His best finish was fourth at the 2024 Mid-USA Pro. While this is a bigger lineup in Chicago, you can never rule out Kellen Wilson, who just claimed a very impressive victory at the Vancouver Pro Show. It’s a deep lineup, but we got the champ going back-to-back.
- Marcus Perry
- Camilo Diaz
- Terrence Bonds
Men’s Physique
- Jo Cho
- Brad Estadt
- Sadik Hadzovic
- Ben Iverson
- Melvin Keihn
- Jacques Lewis
- Abisai Pietersz
- Frankie Rodriguez
- Ahmed Shokry
- Denny Singh
- Mario Stewart
- Anthony Sullivan
- Jacob Swisher
- Dawid Wachelka
- Deke Walker
- Mike Wynn
The buzz for Men’s Physique has been around the return of Sadik Hadzovic, who is one of the first superstars of the division. We’ve been fans of Sadik for many years, as is evidenced by his Muscle Insider Magazine cover appearance.
Hadzovic automatically gets thrown in the mix as a contender, and recent progress updates show him looking very good. But Deke Walker has been on a mission to win a show this year. He’s placed as high as second this year, which he earned at the Republic of Texas Pro. He is hoping the fifth time will be the charm in Chicago.
Abisai Pietersz actually defeated Walker in that contest to earn a qualification to the Olympia already. He could have opted out of this show now that he is locked into the O, but the Chicago Pro is a prestigious title. If he’s in this, Pietersz and Hadzovic will battle for the title, and we’ll take Hadzovic making the most out of the comeback to earn his place back on the Olympia stage.
- Sadik Hadzovic
- Abisai Pietersz
- Deke Walker
Stay tuned to Muscle Insider for our predictions on the women’s side of the stage. Our coverage of the 2024 Chicago Pro is made possible thanks to our friends over at Mutant. Follow @mutantnation and check out www.iammutant.com to learn more about their premiere supplements.