The Men’s Open division served as the headliner for the 2023 Arnold Classic, which took place from March 2-5, in Columbus, Ohio. Prejudging for the Men’s Open happened on Friday night, 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. EST.
Initially, the lineup for this show started off with zero top five competitors from last year’s 2022 Mr. Olympia. However, that quickly changed after Arnold Sports organizers increased the prize money to a staggering $300,000 for the Open winner — only $100,000 less than what Mr. Olympia offered.
As a result of the added incentive, bodybuilders Nick Walker, Andrew Jacked, Patrick Moore, and former Mr. Olympia Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay jumped in. Walker aimed to become a two-time AC champion after winning the honor in 2021.
After dropping to fifth at the latest Olympia, fans were excited to see how Big Ramy fared on stage against a number of top-tier Open competitors. This show also served as redemption for William Bonac after he finished ninth at Olympia last December. In addition, contenders Shaun Clarida, Andrew Jacked, and Samson Dauda were eager to win their first AC title.
Head judge Steve Weinberger put the competitors through a number of poses during prejudging. While Big Ramy impressed early, he was once again sidelined to the right of the stage temporarily. Meanwhile, Jacked looked to be getting harder as the show continued and Walker’s back was arguably the most impressive of the lineup.
After four call outs, Nick Walker, Samson Dauda, and Andrew Jacked appear to be leading the show heading into the finals tomorrow night.
Check the callout reports below:
2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Open Pre-judging
First Callout
- Big Ramy
- Andrew Jacked
- Samson Dauda
- Nick Walker
- Shaun Clarida
Second Callout
- Justin Rodriguez
- Patrick Moore
- Akim Williams
- William Bonac
- Kamal Elgargni.
Third Callout
- Big Ramy
- Akim Williams
- Shaun Clarida
- William Bonac
Final Callout
- Andrew Jacked
- Samson Dauda
- Nick Walker
2023 Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Highlights:
2023 Arnold Classic Schedule
Friday, Mar 03, 2023
Prejudging: (12:30 pm – 2:00 pm EST)
Finals: (7:00 pm – 9:30 pm EST)
Saturday, Mar 04, 2023
Prejudging: (10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST)
- Arnold Men’s Physique
- Bikini International
- Pro Wheelchair – Prejudging & Finals
Finals: (7:00 pm – 10:00 pm EST)
- Arnold Classic
- Arnold Men’s Physique
- Bikini International
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: 3 March, 2023 | 8:54 PM EDT
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