The Classic Physique contest is the second-most anticipated event at the Arnold Classic after the Men’s Open division. Fans expected two outcomes going into the 2024 AC Classic Physique matchup:
- Defending champion Ramon Rocha Querioz would do a repeat
- The 2023 Classic Physique Olympia bronze medalist Urs Kalecinski would win the ‘Best Poser’ award
However, only one of these predictions came true.
While Kalecinski and former AC champ Breon Ansley were considered the top contenders against Querioz, the real threat emerged from elsewhere.
The 6-foot-2 Dutch bodybuilder Wesley Vissers came out all guns blazing in the pre-judging round. He found himself in the pre-judging round’s final callout with Querioz and gave the Brazilian bodybuilder a run for his money in each pose.
Vissers muscle conditioning and definition improved as the head judge, Steve Weinberger, put the two bodybuilders through an extended comparison round.
After the pre-judging round, most were convinced that Vissers was ahead. Vissers carried the momentum into the Finals and outpowered Querioz with his muscle size, balance, and conditioning.
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Vissers was ultimately crowned the new AC Classic Physique champion, making him the sixth bodybuilder to win the title. This was Vissers’ second time competing at the AC.
The loss at the 2024 AC is a major setback for Querioz, who was being hailed as the heir apparent to the five-time and reigning Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead.
Wessley Vissers’ Story
Vissers was born in the Netherlands on May 6, 1993. He earned his IFBB Pro Card in the Classic Physique division by winning the 2017 Royal London Pro qualifier. He then entered and won his first Pro show, the 2018 Chicago Pro. This victory earning himself a qualification for the 2018 Mr. Olympia, where he took a humble 16th place.
In 2019, Vissers competed in his first Arnold Classic but had to settle for 10th place.
Vissers has competed at the Classic Physique Olympia five times. A seventh-place finish at the 2023 Olympia being his best showing.
Vissers trains under the famed bodybuilding coach Stefan Kienzl. Following the 2023 Olympia, the Dutch bodybuilder made significant improvements to his physique based on the judges’ feedback and was rewarded for it at the 2024 AC.
What Vissers’ Win Means For the 2024 Olympia Classic Physique Division
Vissers victory at the 2024 Arnold Classic makes him the biggest threat to Chris Bumstead’s Classic Physique throne at the 2024 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 10-13, 2024, in Las Vegas, NV.
Vissers’ win also solidifies the fact that judges are favoring taller athletes with a more muscular, balanced, symmetric, and conditioned physique for the Classic Physique division.
The reigning Classic Physique Olympia champ “CBum” stands at 6-foot-1, and the new AC Classic Physique champ is 6-foot-2. Interestingly, the muse of the Classic Physique division, the seven-time Mr. Olympia champ, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is also 6-foot-2.
This is the Classic Physique “look” the judges are going for.
Does this mean the shorter athletes are at a disadvantage?
Not really. However, shorter competitors must bring their A-game in terms of muscle size, balance, symmetry, and conditioning if they want to defeat their taller counterparts.
Wessley Vissers vs. Chris Bumstead
Vissers overshadowed Querioz in almost every department, including the V-taper, arms, back, quads, chest, and trap size and conditioning. The only muscle groups where Querioz seemed to have a slight advantage were the glutes and hamstrings. But Vissers got the judges’ nod as he brought a better overall package.
That said, could Vissers have defeated CBum if Bumstead showed up at the 2024 AC in his 2023 Olympia shape?
It is highly unlikely.
Bumstead lower body and back developments are currently head and shoulders above all the other competitors in the division. Not to mention, CBum has some of the best shoulders and V-taper in the game.
Vissers has his work cut out for him if he wants to dethrone Bumstead at the 2024 Olympia.
Vissers punched his ticket to the 2024 Olympia by winning the 2023 IFBB Romania Muscle Fest Pro. The win at the 2024 AC makes him the frontrunner for CBum’s throne at the 2024 Olympia later this year.
Future of Classic Physique Division
While Querioz and Kalecinski have been considered Bumstead’s biggest rivals since 2021, Vissers’ has now joined the foray.
It will be interesting to see where the former Olympia champ Breon Ansley and AC champ Terrence Ruffin fit into the equation at the 2024 Olympia.
The Rise of AC Classic Physique Contest
Over the last two years, the AC Classic Physique title has become just as prestigious as the Classic Physique Olympia title.
This is for two reasons. First, the Classic Physique division tries to emulate the essence of the Golden Era’s iconic physiques; the Arnold Classic is the show of the bodybuilding GOAT, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger is championing the Classic Physique division. He was among the first people to have advocated for the Classic Physique division, arguing that this is, in fact, the route the Men’s Open bodybuilding division should be going.
“I think it’s odd they had to literally create a Classic Physique competition to give to the person who has the best quality body, the most well-balanced body also a trophy because he couldn’t compete where the monsters were competing,” Arnold said.
Arnie also criticized the Men’s open bodybuilders’ extended guts and opined that the Men’s Open bodybuilders are getting too big at the cost of aesthetics.
Check Out: Arnold Schwarzenegger — ‘Classic Physique Category Should Be The Mr. Olympia’
Prize Money
The Austrian Oak backed himself by raising the prize money for the Classic Physique division winner at the AC from $7,000 to $60,000 in 2022. The Classic Physique Olympia champion (IFBB Pro League’s flagship Classic Physique competition) gets a cash prize of $50,000.
The winner’s cheque for the AC Classic Physique division far surpasses the amounts awarded to winners of the other divisions, except for the Men’s Open division.
To put it in perspective, the 2024 Women’s International champion Francielle Mattos won $10,000, and the Fitness Internation champ Ariel Khadr took home $25,000.
The AC Men’s Open champion wins $300,000, compared to the Mr. Olympia champion’s $400,000.
The time is not far when AC might become the premiere bodybuilding show for the Classic Physique bodybuilders.
The Mr. Olympia might remain the most prestigious bodybuilding show. However, the lucrativeness of the AC Men’s Open and Classic Physique division will draw more high-caliber athletes to the show.
Unlike Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend, which has a qualification system, the Arnold Classic is an invite-only show. While this significantly limits the number of people who can compete in the show, it substantially raises the quality of the contest.
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