Men’s Physique and Bikini division contests were held at the 2023 IFBB Pro League’s Mile High Pro show in Denver, CO, on Saturday, June 10, and the winners were Riccardo Croci (Men’s Physique), and Ashley Kaltwasser (Bikini).
Croci scored his fifth career pro win and his third of the 2023 season. Kaltwasser extended her all-time record for most wins by any physique athlete with her 39th career victory.
2023 Mile High Pro Results
The top 15 for both contests are listed below:
Men’s Physique
- Riccardo Croci (Italy)
- Ramses Rams (Spain)
- Drew Cullen (USA)
- Diogo Basaglia (Brazil)
- Jason Huynh (USA)
- Mark Robinson (USA)
- Renato Menezes (Brazil)
- Reynel Chavez Pulido (USA)
- Zach Savoie (USA)
- Andrew J. David (USA)
- David Short (USA)
- Alex Newell (USA)
- Ephfram Mike Lawhorne (USA)
- Francisco Rodriguez (USA)
- Damar Turner (USA)
Bikini Division
- Ashley Kaltwasser (USA)
- Maya Soleil Astabie (USA)
- Elisabet Vang (USA)
- Alina Bogacheva (Kyrgyzstan)
- Priscila Rodrigues (Brazil)
- Nikki Kiani (Canada)
- Laura Martinez Manrique (USA)
- Ruth Montes (USA)
- Langsha He (China)
- Norma Jeane Watkins (USA)
- Malu Duarte (Brazil)
- Cierra Davis (USA)
- Victoria Harbus (USA)
- Lisa Solomon (USA)
- Ariel E. Hollibaugh (USA)
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Men’s Physique Winner — Riccardo Croci
This was Croci’s third win of the 2023 season alone, which means he was already qualified for the 2023 Men’s Physique Olympia in Orlando, FL, on the weekend of Nov. 2-5. Because he was already qualified, no other athlete was awarded an invite to the Olympia at this show.
Second Place — Ramses Rams
This was Rams’ third contest of the 2023 season and his highest placing so far. He needs a pro win in the 2023 season to qualify for the 2023 Olympia. His last Olympia appearance was in 2021.
Rams’ most recent pro win was the 2021 Chicago Pro. He will have to win another show this year if he wants to join Croci and the rest of the Olympia-qualified athletes in Orlando.
Third Place — Drew Cullen
Cullen was second at the 2023 Palmetto Classic Pro earlier in the season, which was his only other show of the year. He has yet to win a pro show in his five-year career, but if he can convert once in 2023, he will punch his ticket to the 2023 Olympia.
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Bikini Winner — Ashley Kaltwasser
Kaltwasser is a three-time Bikini Olympia champion. With her win in Colorado, she is only one win away from becoming the only athlete to win 40 pro shows in any division of the IFBB Pro League.
The closest athlete to Kaltwasser in this endeavor is Dexter Jackson, who retired in 2020 with 29 pro wins. Kaltwasser was already qualified for the 2023 Olympia, so no qualification was awarded at the 2023 Mile High Pro. This is also her fourth time winning the show, with her other victories coming in 2021, 2019, and 2018.
Second Place — Maya Soleil Astabie
This was just Astabie’s second pro show as she continues her impressive rookie campaign. Competing against an athlete the caliber of Kaltwasser must be a career highlight, and scoring silver against her in the process is no small feat. This result will likely boost Astabie’s confidence and motivation for her next show.
Third Place — Elisabet Vang
Vang is a third-year professional, and this show marked her second top-three finish. She was also the bronze medalist at the 2021 Bigman Weekend Pro.
There is no word on if Vang intends to compete again this season. Since turning pro in 2021, she’s never competed more than twice in a year. She was 11th at the 2023 Nevada State Pro, which Kaltwasser also won.
Featured image: @ashleykfit on Instagram
