Aside from the Arnold Classic Men’s Open contest, one of the most popular events of the Arnold Sports Festival (ASF) is the Classic Physique show. The 2024 Arnold Classic Classic Physique contest is the division’s seventh edition. It’s scheduled for Friday, March 1, 2024, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH.
Unlike other non-Olympia shows on the IFBB Pro League circuit, the Arnold Classic contests are invite-only, and athletes have to apply for entry. Twelve athletes were invited to compete in Classic Physique in Columbus. The roster is below, with names in alphabetical order:
2024 Arnold Classic Physique Roster
- Breon Ansley
- Eric Brown Jr.
- Michael Daboul
- Darren Farrell
- Urs Kalecinski
- Antoine Loth
- Courage Opara
- Damien Patrick
- Ramon Rocha Querioz
- Emanuele Riccotti
- Terrence Ruffin
- Wesley Vissers
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Past Champions — Ansley, Querioz, Ruffin
There are three past winners in this lineup, including the defending champion, Ramon Rocha Querioz. The Brazilian competitor ended 2023 with a silver-medal finish at the 2023 Olympia to now five-time champion Chris Bumstead.
Querioz is the early favorite to go back-to-back in Columbus. If he does, he will join Terrence Ruffin as the only Classic Physique athletes to defend their titles successfully and for a second Arnold title.
Ruffin scored his two Arnold Classic wins in 2021 and 2022. He was not in the 2023 lineup but will compete in 2024 to hopefully upset Querioz en route to becoming the first three-time Arnold Classic champion since the contest’s inception in 2018.
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The inaugural winner of the Arnold Classic was Breon Ansley, who is also competing in Columbus. After nearly leaving the Classic Physique for the 212 division, Ansley opted to stay in Classic Physique after the IFBB weight caps were increased. Ansley ranked fourth in the 2023 Olympia.
If Ansley or Ruffin wins the 2024 Arnold Classic, they become the first Classic Physique athlete to reclaim the title after losing it.
Top Contenders — Daboul, Kalecinski, Vissers, Opara
There are several international stars in Classic Physique. Three of them aim to win their first Arnold. The first is Urs Kalecinski, who was the runner-up to Querioz in 2023 and a two-time Olympia bronze medalist. Kalecinski might be the athlete most likely to win his first Arnold Classic if none of the past champions claim victory on the judges‘ scorecards.
Michael Daboul has been steadily rising through the ranks. He’s considered one of the division’s elite thanks to his fifth-place finish at the 2023 Olympia in Orlando, FL. The 2023 New York Pro and 2023 Pittsburgh Pro winner last competed in Columbus in 2022, where he finished in fifth overall.
The third contender is Wesley Vissers, who is coming off a win at the 2023 Romania Muscle Fest Pro show. He ranked seventh in the 2023 Olympia. Vissers’ most recent Arnold Classic appearance was in 2019, where he finished in 10th place.
Courage Opara is also a contender who could make noise in Columbus. He returns to the Arnold for the first time since his fourth-place finish in 2021. Opara has five career pro show wins, including his three most recent contests, highlighted by the 2023 San Antonio Pro.
Arnold Classic Debuts
Five athletes will compete on the Arnold stage for the first time: Eric Brown Jr., Darren Farrell, Damien Patrick, Antoine Loth, and Emanuele Riccotti.
Loth earned his pro card in 2023, and he won two pro shows out of the gate. Patrick secured two pro show wins in 2023. Any of these athletes could disrupt the Arnold Classic and make a first callout if any of the other contenders are off the mark.
How to Watch
Prejudging for the Arnold Classic will be on the Arnold Expo stage in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The finals will be in the Battelle Grand Ballroom in the same building.
Fans who will be in Columbus can purchase tickets to see the finals at the Arnold Sports website. People who will stay home can catch all the action live on the free live stream, details of which are available on the Arnold Sports website.
Featured image: @arnoldsports on Instagram
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