2007 Arnold Classic Champion Victor Martinez is now officially in the 2020 edition of the second biggest contest on the pro bodybuilding circuit. The now United States citizen actually made the news public when he was exchanging tweets with BarBend and myself as the writer of this article regarding his United States citizenship. The following exchange took place on Twitter on December 15.
RL: “Congrats on your citizenship, Victor. If you ever have news to share, I’d be glad to help you spread the word.”
VM: “Thank you. Well here is one. I’m on the list to compete at the Arnold Classic Ohio.”
Whereas most non-Olympia IFBB Pro League contests allow contestants to enter themselves into the lineup, the Arnold Classic lineup is determined by invitations sent by the promoting organization, the Arnold Sports Festival.
Victor Martinez’s History At the Arnold Classic
This will be Martinez’s 9th time competing in Columbus, Ohio. “The Dominican Dominator” first competed at the Arnold Classic in 2002 where he finished 13th. He improved to 7th in 2005 and again moved up to 3rd in 2006 before winning his first major title in 2007. He was set to defend his title in 2008 but was injured while training for the contest. Dexter Jackson would win that show and go on to dethrone Jay Cutler to win the Mr. Olympia that same season.
2009 saw Martinez’s return to the stage and he placed 2nd to winner Kai Greene. He would take 3rd at this show in 2011 but would win the inaugural Arnold Classic Europe later that same season. He never placed higher than 3rd in Columbus again. His most recent effort was in 2019 where he placed 10th.
At 46 years old, Martinez will be one of the oldest competitors in the field, if not the oldest. The official list of competitors hasn’t been released yet but is expected to be sometime this month. We do know that Sergio Oliva Jr. is also in the field since he shared that news himself as well. With his citizenship now secured and official, Martinez will likely be able to devote a lot more focus on his return to the stage on March 7th.
Featured Image: Instagram/ifbbvictormartinez
