The 2023 bodybuilding calendar season is officially underway. On Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, the first IFBB pro contest of 2023 was held in Saudi Arabia. The 2023 Saudi Arabia Pro hosted three men’s divisions: 212, Classic Physique, and Men’s Physique.
Thanks to the Olympia Qualification System changes implemented after the 2022 Olympia Weekend. Athletes must win a contest to qualify for bodybuilding’s world championship event. That makes every contest all the more significant through 2023.
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2023 Saudi Arabia Pro Results
Below are the results of the three divisions contested in Saudi Arabia.
212 Division
- Ahmad Ashkanani
- Mazin Al Rahbi
- Anwar Al Balushi
- Ahmed Yaha Jurayni
- Peter Molnar
- Mohammed Touri
The feature attraction of this show was the 212 contest, which saw Ahmad Ashkanani take first place out of six contestants. This is his fourth career victory. Thanks to the win, Ashkanani is now officially qualified for the 2023 Olympia, which is set to take place in Orlando, FL, in November 2023.
Classic Physique
- Mike Sommerfeld
- Abdullah Alrabiah
- Murat Can Karahasanler
- Denis Romanov
- Abdulaziz Al-Murshedi
- Hassan Mahdi Abdulreda
- Mohamed El Qadi
- Omar Khaldi
- Abdallah Mohamdy Ahmed
- Khaled Elnahawy
Ten men posed onstage in the Classic Physique division in front of the judges, and Germany’s Mike Sommerfeld took the win. He is also now qualified for the 2023 Olympia. This is his third win since turning pro in 2019. Coming in second was Abdullah Alrabiah, and third place went to Murat Can Karahasanler.
Men’s Physique
- Mahmood Al-Maghrabi
- Abdullah Alsharafi
- Imran Khan
- Osama Almujalli
- Akram Al Hasan
- Hashem Mohammed
- Sayed Hussein Mazedi
- Hamed Aldoseri
- Ibrahim Idriss Cheikh Othman
There were nine athletes in the Men’s Physique division, and the contest winner was Mahmood Al-Maghrabi of Bahrain. Abdullah Alsharafi was the runner-up, and Imran Khan accepted the bronze spot. All three of these contests were single-round shows, meaning only prejudging was scored by the judges.
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Looking Ahead
The next 212 contest is the 2023 New York Pro, scheduled for May 20, 2023, in Teaneck, NJ. The next Classic Physique and Men’s Physique shows are at the Arnold Classic, held in Columbus, OH, on the weekend of Mar. 2-5, 2023. That is also where the Men’s Open division will host their first contest of 2023.
Featured Image: @ahmad_ashkanani on Instagram
