Less than two weeks after the historic Arnold Classic US contest was held in Columbus, OH, another Arnold event will take place across the Atlantic.
The 2024 Arnold Classic UK weekend will be held March 15-17, 2024, at the NEC in Birmingham, England. Seven IFBB Pro League titles will be contested in Birmingham, just as they were two weeks prior in Columbus. The winners will earn qualifications to compete at the 2024 Olympia in Las Vegas, NV, on Oct. 10-13, 2024, if they have not qualified already.
Several athletes who competed in the Arnold Classic US event will also compete in the United Kingdom, but new contenders are also in these lineups.
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2024 Arnold Classic UK Rosters
The rosters for all seven shows are below, with names in alphabetical order.
Men’s Open
- Hadi Choopan (Iran)
- Samson Dauda (UK)
- Jonathan Delarosa (USA)
- Mohamad Shaaban Elimbaby (USA)
- James Hollingshead (UK)
- Antoine Vaillant (Canada)
- Akim Williams (USA)
Classic Physique
- Breon Ansley (USA)
- Michael Daboul (UK)
- Josh Eastham (UK)
- Urs Kalecinski (Germany)
- Emanuel Ricotti (Italy)
- Denis Romanov (Russia)
- Wesley Vissers (Netherlands)
Men’s Physique
- Mahmood Al-Maghrabi (Bahrain)
- Vitor Chaves (Brazil)
- Kadeem Hillman (USA)
- Clarence McSpadden (USA)
- Diogo Montenegro (Brazil)
- Corey Morris (USA)
Men’s Wheelchair
- Anand Arnold (India)
- Nick Hewitt (UK)
Fitness International UK
- Jaclyn Baker (USA)
- Abby Bolton (Canada)
- Tiffany Chandler (USA)
- Michelle Fredua-Mensah (UK)
- Ariel Khadr (USA)
- Minna Pajulahti (UK)
- Michela Pavleova (Slovakia)
- Nicolette Szabo (Hungary)
- Aurika Tyrgale (Russia)
Bikini International UK
- Vania Auguste (USA)
- Marie-Eve Duchesneau (Canada)
- Eli Fernandez (Mexico)
- Tara Grier (USA)
- Phoebe Hagan (UK)
- Nittaya Kongthun (Thailand)
- Tatiana Lanovenko (Russia)
- Lucia Malavaze (USA)
- Alice Marchisio (Italy)
- Ottavia Mazza (Italy)
- Ndeye Ndour (USA)
- Lisa Reith (Germany)
- Priscila Rodrigues (Brazil)
- Angelica Teixeira (USA)
Wellness International UK
- Sandra Colorado Acal (Spain)
- Amanda Burnett (USA)
- Leonisa Ciobu (Moldova)
- Juliana Mota (France)
- Rosa Benadero Munoz (Spain)
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Men’s Open Athletes to Watch
Below are the top Men’s Open competitors expected to be considered for the final callout:
Hadi Choopan
The 2022 Mr. Olympia winner emerged victorious at the 2024 Arnold Classic US event and left with the trophy and the $300,000 first-place check. As a result, Choopan crossed $1 million in career prize earnings. He seeks his second straight contest win and $130,000 more in Birmingham.
This is Choopan’s first time competing in this event and likely his last competitive appearance before his rematch with 2023 Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford in Las Vegas at the 2024 Olympia.
Samson Dauda
Dauda has beaten several top stars in the pro ranks but never toppled Choopan. Dauda hopes to change that on home turf.
Dauda has faced multiple hurdles in recent weeks, however. He was briefly hospitalized and considered dropping out of the contest before changing his mind. He also revealed that he is no longer working with coach Milos Sarcev. Dauda’s wife will handle the final stages of Dauda’s prep for this event.
James Hollingshead
James Hollingshead finished the Arnold Classic US event in fifth place, one spot behind Jonathan Delarosa. Hollingshead will aim to leave it all on the stage for his home country fans.
Hollingshead has competed in the Arnold Classic UK previously. He finished third in 2022.
How to Watch
The 2024 Arnold Classic UK will have a free ADL Pro livestream for fans who can’t be in Birmingham. Registration on the Arnold Sports UK site is required, but viewers will have access to both rounds of judging for all shows and other events taking place throughout the weekend.
Featured Image: @arnoldexpouk on Instagram
