With a limited number of Men’s Open Olympia qualifying spots available this year, the 2024 California State Championships, held over the weekend of May 25th, took on special significance for athletes. This contest in Anaheim, California only featured athletes from the Men’s Open.
The 2024 bodybuilding season has been non-stop action. Of late, Nick Walker earned his Olympia qualification following a heated battle with finalist Martin Fitzwater at Steve Weinberger’s 2024 New York Pro. There is no point system in place, making it more challenging for contenders to grace the sport’s grand stage in October.
Only the top three finishers of the Mr. Olympia clinch automatic invitations, which means there are fewer athletes slated to compete in the Open at the biggest event of the year. Thanks to his superior muscle volume and diced conditioning, Tonio Burton pulled off the big win.
2024 California State Pro Bodybuilding Results
It was a stacked lineup in California as there are so few opportunities for Men’s Open talent to guarantee their qualifications for Olympia. Tonio Burton was among the frontrunners early; he has remained incredibly active this season and seemed to be inching closer and closer toward his first Pro show win of this season. Burton shined with superior muscle volume during the finals, as with his previous showings like at the 2024 New York Pro in third place.
He faced stiff competition, however, in the form of two European threats. Krystian Wolski and Emir Omeragic separated themselves from the pack with excellent conditioning and front poses. Omeragic managed to nail his peak this weekend, giving Burton a solid battle.
Although he took ninth at the 2024 New York Pro, Omeragic looked dramatically improved on the West Coast. In the end, Tonio Burton got the job done and earned his right to compete at the 2024 Mr. Olympia! Emir Omeragic and Poland’s Krystian Wolski finished in second and third place.
- Winner — Tonio Burton (Reno, NV)
- Second Place — Emir Omeragic (Germany)
- Third Place — Krystian Wolski (Poland)
- Fourth Place — Stuart Sutherland (Redmond, WA)
- Fifth Place — Pablo Llopis Munoz (Spain)
- Sixth Place — Seung Chul Lee (South Korea)
- Seventh Place — Josef Kveton (Czech Republic)
- Eighth Place — Tim Budesheim (Germany)
- Ninth Place — Jang Min Lee (South Korea)
- Tenth Place — Dorian Haywood (Englewood, CO)
- Eleventh Place — Samuel Pearce (Australia)
- Twelfth Place — An Nguyen (Las Vegas, NV)
- Thirteenth Place — Eddie Bracamontes (San Diego, CA)
- Fourteenth Place — Brady King (Dublin, OH)
- Fifteenth Place — Joseph Palacios (Downey, CA)
- Sixteenth Place — Nathan Dandridge (Moreno Valley, CA), Rafael Del Real (Tulare, CA), Toto Djong (Santa Monica, CA), Paul Hindson (CA), Milan Sadek (Czech Republic), Ray Short (La Porte, TX), Brent Swansen (Decatur, IL), In Seong You (South Korea)
2024 California State Scorecard
The Men’s Open lineup at Mr. Olympia continues to materialize. We look forward to seeing how the 2024 California State Championship winner fares on stage against the best, including Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford later this year!
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