As of Sept. 29, 2023, there are three Olympia 212 qualifications left to claim before the qualification cutoff on Oct. 9, 2023. One of those will be contested at the 2023 Van City Showdown Pro in Burnaby, BC, Canada, on Sept. 30.
Nine competitors are on the roster, eight of whom seek to snag their qualification for the 2023 Olympia held in Orlando, FL, on Nov. 2-5, 2023. The ninth athlete, David Henry, aims to block any additional entrants to bodybuilding’s biggest show. The 2023 Van City Showdown roster is below:
2023 Van City Showdown Roster
- Noel Adame (USA)
- Mohammad Alissa (USA)
- Ramiro Campuzano (USA)
- Douglas Connor Jr. (USA)
- Mostafa Eskandari (USA)
- David Henry (USA)
- David Robinson (USA)
- Shane Stewart (USA)
- Jason Stone (Canada)
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Athletes to Watch
Below are three of the athletes competing likely to contend in first callouts:
David Henry
David Henry was the inaugural Olympia champion of this division in 2008 when it was the 202-pound class. Thanks to that title, he has lifetime qualification to compete in the 212 Olympia. So, if he wins, no one else can qualify for the Olympia. Only show winners advance to the Olympia in 2023.
Henry is coming off a second-place finish to Hidetada Yamagishi at the 2023 Masters Olympia in Romania. Henry has not been on the Olympia stage since 2020 but doesn’t have to win this show to qualify. However, winning a pro show just over a month before the Olympia carries some decent momentum.
Douglas Connor Jr.
Connor placed outside the top 15 at the 2022 212 Olympia. The Van City Showdown will be his 2023 season debut, and it’s a must-win. If he fails to stand atop the podium, he will only have one more chance to qualify for the Olympia before the qualification cutoff.
However, Connor has experience winning in the great white North as his only career pro win came in Canada — the 2021 Toronto Pro Supershow. The Van City Showdown will be the third pro contest of his young career.
Noel Adame
Noel Adame’s only show of the 2023 season was the 2023 Texas Pro, where he finished second to Keone Pearson. Adame is a former New York Pro 212 winner but hasn’t won a pro show in 2023.
Despite qualifying for the 2022 Olympia, Adame didn’t compete. If he qualifies this season and chooses to compete in the 2023 Olympia, it will be his first Olympia appearance since his 13th-place finish in 2021.
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Featured image: @noel_adameifbbpro on Instagram
