The Arnold Sports Festival released the roster for the 2022 Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition. The event is taking place at the Battelle Grand Ballroom of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Ohio, on the weekend of Mar. 3-6, 2022.
Unlike many bodybuilding competitions, the Arnold Classic is invitation-only, so every competitor has been hand-selected with satisfactory reasoning. The highly anticipated inaugural Wellness International will also take place at the event.
With the title changing hands more frequently than Mr. Olympia, the Arnold Classic is one of the most exciting competitions in the bodybuilding sphere. There has been a total of 19-different champions at the Arnold Classic. Brandon Curry is another big name entering the contest as he was victorious at the Arnold Classic in 2019. As a former Mr. Olympia champion too, Curry is being tapped as an early favorite to win the 2022 Arnold Classic.
Nick Walker had his debut performance at the Arnold Classic in 2021 and managed to nail 1st place after saying he would win during the off-season. Walker’s insane physical attributes and hard work played a significant role following his razor-close victory against Iain Valliere to become the winner.
As it stands, Nick Walker is not competing next year. However, many fans are curious how the 2020 Arnold Classic winner William Bonac would have stacked up with “The Mutant” had they faced each other.
Classic Physique, Fitness International, and Figure International finals will go down on Friday night March 4th, as well Men’s Open Bodybuilding Prejudging will be part of that night. The Arnold Classic, Men’s Physique, Bikini International, and Wellness International finals will take place on Saturday Night on March 5, 2022.
2022 Arnold Classic Competitors List For March 3-6
The Arnold Classic is back and it looks like the field of competition will be as fierce as the 2021 lineup. With just 11-weeks to go, you can expect more announcements to come as we inch closer to March for the live competition. As the second biggest bodybuilding event in the sport, fans are eager to see who brings the most defined physique into the spotlight this year. In 2021, the 1st place grand prize was $130,000. The prize money for 2022 show has not been yet announced.
Men’s Open Bodybuilding
- William Bonac (Netherlands)
Rafael Brandão (Brasil)(Withdraws)- Maxx Charles (USA)
- Brandon Curry (USA)
- Samson Dauda (United Kingdom)
Nathan De Asha (United Kingdom)(Withdraws)- Regan Grimes (Canada)
- Steve Kuclo (USA)
- Cedric McMillan (USA)
- Fabio Giga Rezende (Brasil)
- Justin Rodriguez (USA)
Mohamed Shaaban (Egypt)(Withdraws)- Brett Wilkin (USA)
- Akim Williams (USA)
Classic Physique
The 2021 Arnold Classic Physique champion Terrence Ruffin is a tops favorite in the list of nine athletes that also includes 2018 winner Breon Ansley. Ruffin, Ansley, Urs Kalecinski, and Ramon Rocha Queiroz all finished in the top five at the 2021 Mr. Olympia.
- Breon Ansley (USA)
- Michael Daboul (United Kingdom)
- Urs Kalecinski (Germany)
- Peter Molnar (Hungary)
- Terrence Ruffin (USA)
- Ramon Rocha Queiroz (Brasil)
- Darwin Uribe (USA)
- Lenny Wicks (USA)
- Divine Wilson (USA)
“Your 2022 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic IFBB Pro League competitor lists. Thank you to all the athletes who applied for this year’s Arnold Classic, and best of luck to those invited to compete on the Arnold stage in just 11 weeks. More announcements regarding special guests, sponsors, sports, expo activities and more coming soon! Follow the link in our bio or visit www.arnoldsportsfestival.com to get your VIP Packages, Arnold Classic tickets and Arnold Expo passes today!” Arnold Sports announced on Friday.
Men’s Physique
Diogo Montenegro and Erin Banks are top contenders in the division after finishing third and second, respectively, at the 2021 Mr. Olympia.
- Erin Banks (USA)
- Choi Bong Seok (South Korea)
- Riccardo Croci (Italy)
- Terrence Teo Kok Hua (Malaysia)
- Drelyn Hunt (USA)
- Emanuel Hunter (USA)
- Daniel Leone (Italy)
- Vincius Mateus (Brasil)
- Diogo Montenegro (Brasil)
- Ramses Rams (Spain)
- Antoine Weatherspoon (USA)
Fitness International
Missy Truscott is coming back at Columbus in search of her third straight title. Top finishers from the 2021 Arnold Classic — Ariel Khadr (3rd), Jaclyn Baker (4th), and Aurika Tyrgale (5th) — are taking part in the show and will be looking to win the tilte for the first time.
- Jaclyn Baker (USA)
- Amanda Ciani (USA)
- Kate Errington (United Kingdom)
- Ariel Khadr (USA)
- Sara Kovach (USA)
- Allison Kramer (USA)
- Minna Pajulahti (Finland)
- Missy Truscott (USA)
- Aurika Tyrgale (Russia)
- Tamara Vahn (Canada)
Figure International
The past two champions Natalia Soltero and Cydney Gillon returning to Columbus in search of a second title.
- An Da Jong (South Korea)
- Latoya Farley (USA)
- Wendy Fortino (USA)
- Cydney Gillon (USA)
- Nicole Zenobia Graham (USA)
- Lola Montez (Canada)
- Jessica Reyes Padilla (Puerto Rico)
- Larhannah Robinson (USA)
- Natalia Soltero (Mexico)
- Bojana Vasiljevic (USA)
Bikini International
Former Bikini champions Elisa Pecini and Ashley Kaltwasser and inaugural Arnold Sports Festival UK winner Phoebe Hagan are among 10 athletes in the Bikini International.
- Maureen Blanquisco (USA)
- Lauren Dannenmiller (USA)
- Alessia Facchin (Italy)
- Phoebe Hagan (United Kingdom)
- Ashley Kaltwasser (USA)
- Jourdanne Lee (USA)
- Lucia Malavaze (USA)
- Elisa Pecini (Brasil)
- Danielle Phelps (USA)
- Allison Testu (France)
Wellness International
In the inaugural Wellness International, five of the top six from the 2021 Wellness Olympia will battle for the title.
- Sunny Andrews (USA)
- Yarishna Ayala (USA)
- Angela Borges (Brasil)
- Devyn Cambre (USA)
- Barbara Cesar (USA)
- Julia Chitarra (Brasil)
- Casey DeLong (USA)
- Kassandra Gillis (Canada)
- Isabelle Nunes (USA)
- Lorena Ragusa (USA)
Arnold Pro Wheelchair
5x time defending champion Harold Kelley is the favorite to make it six wins in a row.
- Gabriele Andriulli (Italy)
- Anand Arnold (India)
- Bradley Betts (USA)
- Adelfo Cerame Jr. (USA)
- Harold Kelley (USA)
- Antoni Khadraoui (Algeria)
- Chad McCrary (USA)
- Daniel Minster (Czech Republic)
- Johnny Quinn (USA)
Since Walker won’t be defending his title next year, certainly fans are eager to see if Bonac can pick up where he left off in 2020 as champion. With the second biggest bodybuilding show in our sights, it’s only a matter of time before we see who made the most of their offseason in March next year.
Catch full coverage of the 2023 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final and full results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic
Published: 17 December, 2021 | 1:13 PM EDT
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