The 2023 Arnold Classic was the second-most prestigious bodybuilding competition on the IFBB Pro League calendar. This year’s competition, which took place from March 2-5, saw seven divisions battle for gold in Columbus, Ohio.
This year was extra special for the Men’s Open division, as Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Arnold Sports promoters increased the prize money by $100,000. Therefore, the winner will walk away with a huge $300,000 check in addition to gold and bragging rights. The prize money increase now rivals that of Mr. Olympia, which pays out $400,000 to its Open winner.
Over 10,000 athletes from 80 nations battled in 60+ events this weekend. Seven bodybuilding winners will be crowned when all is said and done. You can find comprehensive results for the 2023 Arnold Classic below.
2023 Arnold Classic Winners:
- Men’s Open: Samson Dauda ($300,000)
- Classic Physique: Ramon Rocha Queiroz ($60,000)
- Men’s Physique: Erin Banks ($10,000)
- Bikini: Lauralie Chapados ($10,000)
- Fitness: Ariel Khadr ($25,000)
- Wellness: Kassandra Gillis ($7,000)
- Pro Wheelchair: Harold Kelley
2023 Arnold Classic Results and Prize Money
Below are results and a recap of the bodybuilding action from the 2023 Arnold Classic:
2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Open Bodybuilding Results
Last year, the 2022 Arnold Classic Men’s Open Bodybuilding results saw Brandon Curry cement himself as a two-time champion. Meanwhile, William Bonac, brought arguably one of his most conditioned packages to date. Despite Bonac’s impeccable lower body, Curry’s shape guided him to the victory.
Curry decided not to defend his title in Ohio this year. Therefore, a new champion was crowned. Heading into the contest, many fans and veterans of the sport acknowledged Nick Walker, Big Ramy, Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked and Shaun Clarida as favorites.
During the finals, it was a three-man battle between Walker, Dauda and Jacked. After a very close contest, Samson Dauda secured his first AC title and won $300,000 while Nick Walker finished second. Additionally, Andrew Jacked placed third and Big Ramy walked away in fourth.
- Winner — Samson Dauda, $300,000
- Second Place — Nick Walker, $120,000
- Third Place — Andrew Jacked, $70,000
- Fourth Place — Big Ramy, $37,500
- Fifth Place — Shaun Clarida, $20,000
- Sixth Place — Akim Williams, $12,500
*Franco Columbu Most Muscular Award — Nick Walker
*Ed Corney Best Poser Award — Andrew Jacked
Check out the complete 2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Open results here.
Arnold Classic 2023 Classic Physique Results
Unlike last year’s Arnold Classic, the two-time winner Terrence Ruffin was not in Ohio to defend his title. Heading into the show, fans were excited to see another showdown between Brazil’s Ramon Rocha Queiroz and Germany’s Urs Kalecinski.
In the end, Ramon Rocha Queiroz won and Urs Kalecisnki was awarded with the Ed Corney Best Poser Award. Following the event, fans thought Ramon brought the most conditioned package of his career.
- Winner — Ramon Rocha Queiroz, $60,000
- Second Place — Urs Kalecinski, $30,000
- Third Place — Alex Cambronero, $20,000
- Fourth Place — Mike Sommerfield, $7,000
- Fifth Place — Courage Opara, $4,000
- Sixth Place — Junior Javorski, $2,000
* Best Poser Award — Urs Kalecinski
View the full results of the 2023 AC Classic Physique here.
2022 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique Results
Fans looked forward to seeing Erin Banks back on stage. Last year, he became the only Men’s Physique winner in the history of the sport to win the Arnold Classic and Olympia titles in the same calendar year.
Given their time on stage, it was hard to ignore the size, detail, and wide back of Banks. He walked away as a two-time AC Men’s Physique champion and continues to build momentum ahead of his title defense at Olympia this November.
- Winner — Erin Banks, $10,000
- Second Place — Diogo Montenegro, $6000
- Third Place — Emanual Hunter, $4000
- Fourth Place — Vitor Chaves, $3000
- Fifth Place — Carlos DeOliveira, $1500
- Sixth Place — Edvan Ferreira Palmeira, $1500
View the full results of the 2023 AC Men’s Physique here.
2023 Arnold Classic Bikini Results
As with most Bikini contests, dethroning a sitting champion is no easy task. The 2023 Arnold Classic lineup was brimming with talent. Defending champion Lauralie Chapados was eager to pick up another victory. Additionally, former AC Bikini International Ashley Kaltwasser had plans to regain her status as champion.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Dorie, who dropped her title at the 2022 Olympia contest, got another crack at the reigning Bikini Olympia, Maureen Blanquisco. It was an interesting night for the Bikini division. The finals saw contenders Maureen Blanquisco and Chapados push each other on stage. The judges favored the physique of Lauralie Chapados in Ohio, and she became a two-time AC Bikini International titleholder.
- Winner — Lauralie Chapados, $10,000
- Second Place — Maureen Blanquisco, $6,000
- Third Place — Jennifer Dorie, $4,000
- Fourth Place — Ashley Kaltwasser, $3,000
- Fifth Place — Romina Basualdo, $1,500
- Sixth Place — Ivanna Escandar, $1,500
View the full results of the 2023 AC Bikini here.
2023 Arnold Classic Fitness Results
At the contest, Ariel Khadr was aiming to cement herself as a two-time champion.
She faced a number of top tier threats in the Fitness category during the exciting contest. Heading into March, fans expected a battle between Khadr, Jaclyn Baker, and Michelle Fredua-Mensah.
In the end, Ariel Khadr earned first place and won the 2023 AC Fitness International title. This marked her second Arnold Classic Fitness International title, and she accomplished the feat with a powerful individual routine.
- Winner — Ariel Khadr, $25,000
- Second Place — Jaclyn Baker, $13,000
- Third Place — Michelle Fredua-Mensah, $8,000
- Fourth Place — Allison Kramer, $5,000
- Fifth Place — Terra Plum, $3,000
- Sixth Place — Tiffany Chandler, $2,000
Check out the complete 2023 Arnold Classic Fitness International results here.
2023 Arnold Classic Wellness Results
Wellness competitors delivered in Ohio at the 35th annual Arnold Sports Festival. Unfortunately, the former champion, Isabelle Nunes was forced to withdraw from the event due to a problematic knee injury. Instead, top Wellness pros Kassandra Gillis, Angela Borges, Alexis Adams and Rayane Fogel put it all on the line.
At the event, Angela Borges brought an astounding look, though Kassandra Gillis managed to get the job done on the judges’ scorecards.
- Winner — Kassandra Gillis, $7,000
- Second Place — Angela Borges, $4,000
- Third Place — Rayane Fogel, $3,000
- Fourth Place — Alexis Adams, $2,000
- Fifth Place — Marissa Andrews , $1,000
- Sixth Place — Andrea Hrenko, $1,000
Check out the complete 2023 AC Wellness International results here.
2023 Arnold Classic Wheelchair Pro Results
At last year’s Arnold Classic (2022), Gabriele Andriulli shocked the world after dethroning Harold ‘King Kong’ Kelley, who went into that competition as an overwhelming favorite. During Kelley’s career, he’s managed to secure five Wheelchair Olympia titles as well as five AC titles.
During prejudging, three names stood out for the judges. Harold Kelley, Bradley Betts, and Tory Jones. While Jones and Betts gave Kelley a run for his money, they weren’t able to stop ‘King Kong’ from securing his sixth Arnold Classic title.
- Winner — Harold ‘King Kong’ Kelley
- Second Place — Tory Jones
- Third Place — Bradley Betts
- Fourth Place — Woody Belfort
- Fifth Place — James Berger
- Sixth Place — Tim Caldwell
Check out the complete 2023 Arnold Classic Wheelchair Pro results here.
Fitness Volt congratulates all athletes who took part in this historic event!
Catch full coverage of the 2023 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic
Published: 4 March, 2023 | 10:05 PM EDT
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