Charles Griffen is your 2022 California State Pro winner. Griffen posed off against nine other IFBB Pro League competitors in San Diego, CA on Saturday, May 28, 2022, and was the last man onstage at the end of the evening.
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Thanks to his victory at this Men’s Open only competition, Griffen is now qualified for the 2022 Mr. Olympia, scheduled to take place the weekend of Dec. 16-18 in Las Vegas, NV. The final standings of the contest are below.
2022 California Pro Results
- Charles Griffen
- Mohamed Shaaban
- Tonio Burton
- Andrea Musi
- Peter Klancir
- Maxx Charles
- Andrea Presti
- Theo Leguerrier
- Christopher Robinson
- Douglas Fruchey
Winner — Charles Griffen
This is Griffen’s first victory since he won the 2018 Muscle Mayhem contest, and it’s the second of his pro career. He has worked with coach Matt Jansen for the last four years, and this may be the best he has looked since they paired up.
He placed second to Blessing Awodibu at the Indy Pro two weeks before this contest. It appears that Griffen was able to get rid of the water that was sitting underneath his skin — making him appear more ripped and dry. There was little to no doubt about his victory because he was first in both prejudging and finals.
Second Place — Mohamed Shaaban
This was Shaaban’s first appearance in 2022, after withdrawing from the 2022 Arnold Classic due to injuries. His legs were large and displayed numerous striations. His upper body was great as well, but Griffen’s shape and conditioning are what made the difference.
To qualify for the Olympia, Shaaban will need to enter and win another pro show. At the time this article was written, it was not known whether he will.
Third Place — Tonio Burton
Burton is usually a 212 competitor, but he wanted to gauge how he’d fare against larger athletes — and he ended up holding his own.
It was Griffen’s size compared to Burton’s that kept the 2021 Indy Pro 212 winner from claiming this title. It’s unknown if Burton will keep competing in Men’s Open, go back to 212, or do both throughout the season, but his presence at this contest was certainly noteworthy because he placed ahead of several worthy competitors.
Olympia Qualified
Thanks to Griffen’s win, his name is now added to the list of those that will grace the Olympia stage. That updated list, as of May 29, 2022, is below.
- Blessing Awodibu
- William Bonac
- Rafael Brandao
- Hadi Choopan
- Shaun Clarida
- Brandon Curry
- Samson Dauda
- Nathan De Asha
- Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
- Angel Calderon Frias
- Charles Griffen
- Regan Grimes
- Hunter Labrada
- Joel Thomas
- Nick Walker
The next Men’s Open contest is the Toronto Pro, set to take place on Saturday, June 4th in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Featured Image: @charlesgriffen_ifbbpro on Instagram
