Urs Kalecinski has caused a significant shakeup for the 2025 Olympia. Kalecinski is an established force in the Classic Physique division, but announced he is shifting to Men’s Open bodybuilding.
Kalecinski made the announcement on his social media platforms on Aug. 20, 2025. “The Miracle Bear” wrote, “The struggle to cut weight for Classic has become increasingly difficult to a point where I either had to sacrifice my health tremendously or my best possible physique attainable.”
To make weight for the 2023 Classic Physique Olympia, Kalecinski reportedly dropped over 25 pounds. He again dieted down to meet the weight cap for the 2024 Olympia. Kalecinski finished third in both contests, which were won by Chris Bumstead.
Kalecinski’s bronze medal finish in 2024 automatically qualified him for the 2025 Classic Physique Olympia, set for Oct. 9-12 in Las Vegas, NV, but later stated that he would not take that qualification. He intended to compete in a Men’s Bodybuilding show to qualify for the 2025 Mr. Olympia contest.
I will be giving my Open Bodybuilding debut in Maitland on Sept. 7th, [at the 2025 ProMuscle Italy Pro].
—Urs Kalecinski
The 2025 ProMuscle Italy Pro is the penultimate contest for the 2025 Olympia qualifying season. The qualification period ends on Sept. 14 at the 2025 Europa Pro Championships in Offenbach, Germany. That gives Kalecinski only two opportunities to qualify for the 2025 Mr. Olympia competition.
With Bumstead and Kalecinski absent from the 2025 Classic Physique Olympia lineup, that leaves runner-up Mike Sommerfeld as the only top-three finisher from the 2024 Olympia in the 2025 lineup, making the 2025 Arnold Classic Physique winner an early favorite to become the fourth champion in the contest’s 10-year history.
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Featured Image: @the.miraclebear on Instagram
