The weekend of June 17-19, 2022, is busy for professional bodybuilding. Two Men’s Open contests will be held in different regions of the world. The Puerto Rico Pro will take place in San Juan that weekend, garnering the attention of fans in North and South America.
Meanwhile, over 8,000 miles away, fans in Paradise City, South Korea, will witness the 2022 Monsterzym Pro, where five IFBB Pro League divisions will host contests that allow the winner to qualify for the 2022 Olympia weekend. Seven contestants in the Men’s Open division will face the fans and judges with hopes of earning the title of Monsterzym Pro champion, including the 2020 winner, Seung Chul Lee. The list of competitors is below in alphabetical order:
2022 Monsterzym Pro Bodybuilding Show Roster — Men’s Open
- Mohammad Alnsoor
- Sibusiso Kotelo
- Jinho Lee
- Seung Chul Lee
- Diogo Nunes
- Hwang Shin
- Jang Sung Yong
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Favorites to Watch
Below are three standouts to pay attention to come competition day:
Seung Chul Lee
The 2021 edition of this contest didn’t feature a Men’s Open show, so Lee goes into this contest as the defending champion. His 2020 victory is the only pro win of his career thus far. He finished in 12th place at that year’s Mr. Olympia. He placed 10th at the 2021 Arnold Classic — the last time he competed. He is the early favorite to take the win in Paradise City, but he needs to be on point because other contenders will walk through the door if he opens it.
Mohammad Alnsoor
Alnsoor turned heads when he finished seventh at the 2021 Europa Pro. He looked great in the side poses, such as the side chest, and he has a lot of detail in his back, especially his lower back. A common phrase in bodybuilding circles is “the show is won from the back,” If he improves on his 2021 showing, the fans in Paradise City will be in for a fireworks-filled contest.
Jang Sung Yong
Yong finished in third place at the 2020 Monsterzym Pro, but the defending champion had a size advantage, and his muscles appeared to have more density. Yong has had two years to develop his muscle maturity and already has excellent symmetry. The combination could surprise the other favorites and punch him a ticket to Las Vegas later this year.
Other Divisions
Outside of the Men’s Open, two other Men’s divisions and two Women’s divisions are scheduled for this show. Tier 4 points for the Olympia Qualification System will be awarded to this contest’s second through fifth-place finishers. The athletes expected to compete as of this writing are below:
Classic Physique
- Sung Jin-Kang
- Chang Keun Kim
- Eung Kyu Kim
- Yongseung Lee
- Jaehun Park
- Seonghun Park
- Dong O Ryu
- Juseong Seo
- In Seong You
- Norbert Zaker-Balogh
Men’s Physique
- JuXian He
- Jeong Hyeon Jo
- Minsu Kim
- Young Gyu Kim
- Ilya Kvashnin
- Gun Seung Lee
- Ajith Raja
Bikini
- Soo-Hyun Bae
- Sara Choi
- Yuna Kang
- Mina Kim
- Tae Rin Kim
- Ji Ban Park
Wellness
- Dohee Kim
- Hye Yoon Kim
- Hannah Son
- Min Ju Yoon
Featured image: @international_bodybuilderchul on Instagram