The 2023 Arnold Classic Physique contest roster is now set at seven competitors. On Feb. 21, 2023, Darwin Uribe announced that he withdrew from the competition, scheduled for Mar. 2-5, 2023, in Columbus, OH, due to personal health reasons.
Uribe made the announcement in an Instagram post, which can be seen below. He didn’t say specifically what health issues he was dealing with but cited “red flags” as his reason to bow out:
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“Unfortunately, this is something that I won’t be able to finish. Sadly [not] this time…I can’t push through this now and finish because there are always more red flags, and red flags that indicate you it’s time to stop,” Uribe wrote in part of his announcement. He explained that his body was not responding to the training and nutrition he used to prepare for the competition.
I don’t want to continue pushing extreme limits…to make this weight class again.
Due to health reasons, Uribe had also withdrawn from the 2022 Classic Physique Olympia in December 2022. The 2023 Arnold Classic Physique contest would’ve been Uribe’s sixth professional show and his second appearance on the Arnold Classic stage in Columbus, OH.
Darwin Uribe
Uribe has been an IFFB Pro League competitor since 2021. According to NPC News Online, he won his pro debut, the 2021 Chicago Pro, qualifying him for that year’s Olympia, which he did not compete in.
In 2022, Uribe made his first Arnold Classic appearance, ranking eighth out of nine competitors. Terrence Ruffin won that contest. Uribe won the 2022 Houston Tournament of Champions contest, which gave him his second Olympia qualification. He did not compete in that contest either.
2023 Arnold Classic Roster — Classic Physique
With Uribe’s absence, the remaining competitors for the contest in Columbus are below in alphabetical order:
- Jason Brown
- Alex Cambronero
- Junior Javorski
- Urs Kalecinski
- Courage Opara
- Ramon Rocha Queiroz
- Mike Sommerfeld
Fans who want to watch the 2023 Arnold Classic Physique and all seven IFBB Pro League contests taking place that weekend can go to the Arnold Sports Festival website to purchase tickets. A pay-per-view stream of the show is also available through Fanmio.
Featured Image: @uribe_darwin on Instagram
