The Arnold Classic has been held every year in Columbus, OH, since 1989 and has grown over that time. It started with only the Men’s Open division but now features seven categories, including the Men’s Wheelchair division, which began in 2016.
The Arnold Pro Wheelchair event, spearheaded by Wheelchair Bodybuilding chairman Nick Scott, is usually held at the Arnold Expo. Over the course of its history, it has had three champions. The most dominant winner has been Harold Kelley, but there have been three different winners from 2022 to 2024. The 2025 edition will be held in Columbus, OH, on Saturday, March 1, 2025, in the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Every Winner of the Arnold Classic Wheelchair Contest
The evolution of this contest is below, with the history of all three champions included:
- Harold Kelley (2016-20, 2023)
- Gabriele Andriulli (2022)
- Rajesh John (2024)
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Harold Kelley (2016-20, 2023)
Harold “King Kong” Kelley is considered by many to be the greatest wheelchair bodybuilder of all time. He has won six Olympia titles and six Arnold titles, including the first five in a row from 2016 to 2020.
Even after losing the title in 2022 to Gabriele Andriulli, he came back to reclaim the title in 2023. He goes into the 2025 event as the number one man in the division and is expected to win championship number seven on the Arnold stage.
2016
- Harold Kelley
- Ludovic Marchand
- Gabriele Andriulli
2017
- Harold Kelley
- Gabriele Andriulli
- Daniel Minster
2018
- Harold Kelley
- Reggie Bennett
- Gabriele Andriulli
2019
- Harold Kelley
- Kris Dim
- Anand Arnold
2020
- Harold Kelley
- Antoni Khadroui
- Bradley Betts
2023
- Harold Kelley
- Tory Jones
- Bradley Betts
Gabriele Andriulli (2022)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no 2021 contest, but the Arnold Pro Wheelchair returned the following year. After placing in the top three on three different occasions, Andriulli finally reached the stage’s summit and won his first Arnold title. Kelley placed second, and it was his first loss in nearly eight years at the time.
- Gabriele Andriulli
- Harold Kelley
- Bradley Betts
Rajesh John (2024)
The 2024 edition of the Pro Wheelchair event was the most successful to date, featuring a big upset. Rajesh John of India was a virtual unknown before the event, but he pulled off the win over runner-up Andriulli and third-place finisher Josue Fabiano. Kelley finished in fourth but redeemed himself by winning the 2024 Wheelchair Olympia in Las Vegas, NV, later that year.
- Rajesh John
- Gabriele Andriulli
- Josue Fabiano
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Featured Image: @arnoldsports on Instagram
