The 35th Arnold Classic bodybuilding show is scheduled to take place on the weekend of March 2-5, 2023, in Columbus, OH. The contest originally started as a Men’s Open bodybuilding contest but has since evolved to include multiple IFBB Pro League divisions.
On Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, the Arnold Sports Festival announced the rosters for the seven pro divisions that will compete in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The announcements are set to be made throughout the course of the day, and BarBend will update this page with the rosters as they are revealed.
2023 Arnold Classic Rosters
Wellness
This is the second Wellness International contest at the Arnold Classic, the first being in 2022. The champion that year was Isabelle Nunes, who finished in second place to Francielle Mattos at the 2022 Olympia. The runner-up to Nunes was Angela Borges. Both competitors are back for a rematch, along with eight other athletes who hope to be the second champion of this competition. The names after Nunes’ are listed in alphabetical order.
- Isabelle Nunes (2022 winner)
- Marissa Andrews
- Sunny Andrews
- Yarishna Ayala
- Angela Borges
- Julia Chitarra
- Rayane Fogel
- Kassandra Gillis
- Andrea Hrenko
- Giselle Machado
Men’s Wheelchair
One of the shockers of the 2022 Arnold Classic came in the Wheelchair division. Gabriele Andruilli managed to pull off a major upset by defeating five-time and then defending champion Harold Kelley. Kelley won the rematch at the 2022 Olympia in December by taking his fifth Olympia win in Las Vegas, NV.
Both of those champions will be in the 2023 Arnold Classic Wheelchair contest, along with eight other pros looking to put on a memorable contest for the fans in Columbus. Andriulli looks to become the second man to successfully defend the title, while Kelley (the first to do so) will try to win a sixth Arnold Classic trophy.
- Gabriele Andriulli (2022 winner)
- Anand Arnold
- Woody Belfort
- James Berger
- Bradley Betts
- Tim Caldwell
- Tory Jones
- Harold Kelley
- Antoni Khadraoui
- Bryan Williams
Men’s Physique
Erin Banks started his 2022 season by winning the 2022 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique title, and he finished it by winning the 2022 Men’s Physique Olympia championship. He was actually the only male athlete to win both prestigious titles in 2022, and both of those wins were his first victories in those contests.
Whoever wins the 2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Physique show will hope to achieve the same success as Banks. The road for them is going to be very challenging because Banks is coming back to defend his Arnold Classic title. Taking him on will be the runner-up in Columbus one year ago, Emmanuel Hunter, and eight other elite competitors.
- Erin Banks (2022 winner)
- Ali Bilal
- Vitor Chavez
- Carlos DeOliveira
- Juan Manuel Gomez
- Emmanuel Hunter
- Diogo Montenegro
- Jahvair Mullings
- Edvan Ferriera Palmeria
- Antoine Weatherspoon
Fitness
2022 Fitness International champion Ariel Khadr will look to win her second straight Arnold Classic title. She is coming off a third-place finish at the 2022 Olympia, which was won by Missy Truscott, another former Arnold winner.
Another former champion, two-time Fitness International winner Oksana Grishina, joins her in this year’s lineup as well as 2022 Olympia runner-up Jaclyn Baker. Baker was third in this contest one year ago.
For those that are new to the Fitness division, the first round is based on the look of the physique, but it is counted as one-third of the total score. The other two-thirds are based on their individual routines that are performed in the second round. Athletes must display athleticism by performing a variety of gymnastic and bodyweight movements. The more challenging the routine, the better in the eyes of the judges.
- Ariel Khadr (2022 winner)
- Jaclyn Baker
- Tiffany Chandler
- Oksana Grishina
- Allison Kramer
- Michelle Fredua-Mensah
- Minna Pajulahti
- Terra Plum
- Kristin Pope
- Tamara Vahn
Classic Physique
With two-time winner Terrence Ruffin sitting this contest out, the Arnold Classic Physique contest will be guaranteed to have a new champion crowned. 2022 Classic Physique Olympia runner-up Ramon “Dino” Rocha Queiroz, former Arnold winner Alex Cambronero, and the popular Urs Kalecinski headline this 10-athlete field.
Joining them is an international lineup that hopes to be contending for this and Olympia titles for years to come. This could be a look at the division’s elite within the next five years.
- Jason Brown
- Alex Cambronero
- Neil Currey
- Urs Kalecinski
- Kyrylo Khudaiev
- Mehdi Larijani
- Courage Opara
- Ramon Rocha Quieroz
- Mike Sommerfeld
- Darwin Uribe
Bikini
The most competitive lineup of the weekend may be in the Bikini division. 2022 Bikini International winner Lauralie Chapados will look to repeat against nine competitors, including reigning Olympia champion Maureen Blanquisco and former Olympia and Arnold champions Jennifer Dorie and Ashley Kaltwasser. Another former Arnold winner, India Paulino, will join the rest of the 10-athlete roster, including the following competitors.
- Lauralie Chapados (2022 winner)
- Romina Basualdo
- Maureen Blanquisco
- Jennifer Dorie
- Ivanna Escandar
- Eli Fernandez
- Phoebe Hagan
- Ashley Kaltwasser
- Ukanchi Onyejiaka
- India Paulino
Men’s Open
The 35th Arnold Classic will include ten men, including the two-time Olympia 212 champion, Shaun Clarida, who will look to add his second career men’s open title to that portfolio of wins.
He will be joined by a former two-time champion, William Bonac, Samson Dauda, who placed sixth at the 2022 Olympia, and another former Olympia 212 champion, Kamal Elgargni. Seven men will compete in this division, and if anyone besides Bonac wins, they will be the 20th winner of one of bodybuilding’s most prestigious titles. If Elgargni, who won the Arnold Classic 212 title in 2018, wins, he will be the first two-division Arnold Classic winner ever.
- William Bonac
- Shaun Clarida
- Samson Dauda
- Kamal Elgargni
- Justin Rodriguez
- Akim Williams
How to Watch the 2023 Arnold Classic
Tickets for the contests can be purchased at the Arnold Sports Festival website. Fans who can’t be in Columbus for the competitions live can buy the Arnold Classic pay-per-view, courtesy of Fanmio. Details about the pay-per-view are expected to be announced in the near future.
Featured Image: Chris Bernacchi