Professional bodybuilding will be on the marquee in British Columbia, Canada, during the weekend of July 16-17, 2022. The 2022 Vancouver Pro will take place in Abbottsford, BC, and will feature six IFBB Pro League contests. One of those contests will be the Men’s Open, highlighted by the onstage returns of Iain Valliere and Antoine Vaillant. The seven athletes that will line up and face the judges are below:
2022 Vancouver Pro Bodybuilding Show Roster | Men’s Open
- Seth Engman
- Jonas Giatras
- Martin Hernandez
- Hossein Kalateh
- Kook Kwang Moon
- Antoine Vaillant
- Iain Valliere
Below are three athletes in the Men’s Open to keep your eyes on, followed by a breakdown of the other divisions’ rosters.
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Iain Valliere
The 2022 Vancouver Pro is Valliere’s first competitive appearance since finishing seventh overall at the 2021 Olympia. He has yet to qualify for the 2022 Olympia at the time of this article’s publication.
Valliere is considered the favorite to take the victory in Vancouver and has left nothing to chance. He arrived in Vancouver earlier in the week to finish his prep, which focused on presenting more size with the same conditioning he brought to his two victories during the 2021 season in Tampa and Texas.
Antoine Vaillant
This is Vaillant’s first contest appearance since 2020. He took the majority of the 2021 season off by choice, then dealt with heart issues that sidelined him even longer.
Despite his recovery, many in the sport thought Vaillant would wait to compete until 2023. His entry into the Vancouver Pro was announced one week before he takes the stage. Vaillant can hold his own on size compared to Valliere, but the conditioning and definition will likely determine the winner. Vaillant can’t afford to be off the mark if he wants to seal his return with a win.
Hossein Kalateh
There is a recent trend in bodybuilding of 212 division competitors jumping into Open shows. Shaun Clarida and Angel Calderon are both qualified for the 2022 Mr. Olympia and Olympia 212 contests. Hossein Kalateh hopes to pull off that same feat.
Kalateh won the 212 contest at the Toronto Pro in June 2022. Kalateh looks impressive from the front but lacks size next to the other favorites. Valliere is great in back poses, which could dampen Kalateh’s chances. If the previous two favorites are off the mark on game day, Kalateh could shock the bodybuilding world.
Other Divisions
As with the men’s open, the winners of the other five pro contests are automatically qualified for the Olympia, which will take place Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV. The rest of the top five finishers will earn Tier 4 points on the Olympia Qualification System. The top three finishers in that system for each division will also move on to the Olympia.
Classic Physique
- Cody Amey
- Aaron Aramini
- Isaac Baier
- Adam Beveridge
- Billy Danh
- Richard Gayle
- Ethan Gohari
- Virgilio Giugno
- Chen Kang
- John Le
- Vladimir Markov
- David Anthony Tassin
- Kellen Wilson
Men’s Physique
- Xezekiel Afanou
- Josh Bridgman
- AJ Ellison
- Charjo Grant
- Isaias Paez Martinez
- Mavrick Leger Rites
- Akbar Sarbaz Sarkhanlo
- Daniel Miguel Rabiela Tomas
- Gurjinder Virk
- Shahin Zolfaghari
Fitness
- Abby Bolton
- Noemie Champagne-Cloutier
- Danielle DaCosta
Figure
- Dalila Xochilt Alegria
- Mel Cech
- Kim Clark
- Spomenka Miller-Stanic
- Valerie Ratelle
- Jennifer Reece
- Mandy Urner
Bikini
- Susana Aramayo
- Tessa Barresi
- Catherine Daniel
- Nicole Engman
- Taryn Flanagan
- Shelby Pierce
- Jennifer Roberts
- Ayleen Santander
- Maria Sharp
- Maxine Somov
- Karen Wall
- Natalie Waples
- Elizabeth Yisrael
- Laura Ziv
Featured image: @iainvalliere on Instagram
