Tag: 2023 Pittsburgh Pro preview
2023 Pittsburgh Pro Preview, Athletes to Watch & Guest Posing Teaser
The 2023 Pittsburgh Pro, one of the most prestigious contests on the IFBB Pro League calendar, will kick off its festivities on May 12-13 in Pittsburgh PA. Historically, this show has become a major attraction and is backed by NPC President and IFBB Pro League Chairman Jim Manion. With six bodybuilding categories competing for gold, the winners will guarantee their right to contend on this year’s Mr. Olympia stage.
A number of returning champions have taken to the east coast looking to stake their claim as the best. Natalia Abraham Coelho, the reigning 2022 Women’s Physique Olympia, three-time Olympia Bikini legend Ashley Kaltwasser, and Wellness Arnold Classic winner Kassandra Gillis will be in attendance eager to nail down another major bodybuilding title.
Fans are also looking forward to a star-studded lineup of Open class guest posers, who are set to light up the stage on Saturday. You can find the complete roster of athletes competing at the 2023 Pittsburgh Pro below:
Official 2023 Pittsburgh Pro Athletes Roster & Preview
Classic Physique
In the Classic Physique category, a few names jumped out on paper in the lead-up to the event. Michael Daboul is a two-time Arnold Classic UK champion and known for bringing consistently shredded packages. Daboul capped off his season last year finishing 10th at 2022 Mr. Olympia.
Camilo Diaz also has ambitious plans to assert himself as a title contender in his Pittsburgh Pro debut performance. Fans expect a strong showing from Danili Famponte as well after he won the 2023 Charlotte Pro and took third at the Fitworld Pro. He’s qualified for the 2023 Olympia, so he’s aiming to take a invite away from his competition.
Tomas Adame-Hernandez
Munkhsaruul Altangerel
Edgard John Augustin
Brandon Cooper
Luca Corrado
Michael Daboul
Camilo Diaz
Daniil Famponte
Callum Hinze
Eric Wildberger Lisboa
Eddie Lusk III
Dion Merrill
Jason Orellana
Kendahl Richmond
Rob Van Sant
Randy Watson
Alexander Westermeier
Jay Yount
Men’s Physique
The evolution of the Men’s Physique category will be on full display this weekend. Fans have highlighted a few frontrunners, like Ryan Terry. Terry turned in a seventh-place finish at 2022 Olympia, where Erin Banks won his first Men’s Physique title. Meanwhile, Ali Bilal will look to win in Pittsburgh after securing ninth behind Terry in Las Vegas. Benquil Marigny is also riding momentum after picking up gold at the 2023 St. Louis Pro a few weeks ago.
Dustin Alvis
Michael E. Anderson
Christopher Barr
Lucas Basilio
Michael Bell
Ali Bilal
Stevelon Dennis
Furkan Er
Matthew Gelia
Brett Mario Jackson
Melvin Keihn
Jacques Lewis
Benquil Marigny
Joseph Mencel
Gage Moran
Corey Morri
Vincenzo Palescandolo
Sidy Pouye Spain
Nathaniel Presley
Puwanat Putoya
Jamil Rogers
Leon K. Smith
Ryan Terry
Marcus L. Wesley
Women’s Physique
Fans look forward to seeing Natalia Abraham Coelho back in action, who upset Sarah Villegas for the Women’s Physique Olympia title last December. Given her ability to come in shredded to the bone, fans expect a dominant package from the reigning champ.
Sabrina Berish
Candice Carr
Natalia Abraham Coelho
Sarah Crail
Marie-Solange Essoh
Ann Gruber
Carrie Hughes
Amandine Kolly
Diana Schnaidt
Joseli Schoenherr
Emily Schubert
Becky Short
Michele Steeves
Jennifer Taylor
Kasia Topor
Patricia Watson
Figure
In the Figure category, Natalia Soltero hopes to deliver fireworks. She placed fifth at the 2022 Figure Olympia contest, which saw Cydney Gillon secure her sixth consecutive title. Soltero also finished fifth at last year’s Arnold Classic Figure International.
Lynn Centino
Madison Dinges
Manon Dutilly
Ashley Radiance Fuller
Sandy Hill
Ashley Howells
Erika Morales Morgan
Nina Paulus
Maria Luisa Baeza Diaz Pereira
Paula Ranta
Cherish Richardson
Paige Sabedra
Natalia Soltero
Jennifer Zienert
Bikini
Ashley Kaltwasser is a winning machine and hopes to add another trophy to her collection this weekend. At the 2022 Olympia competition, she took third place, proving that she’s still a viable contender and very capable of stringing together high-quality performances. Kaltwasser enters this competition having won the Pittsburgh Pro title four times (2013,2014,2016,2019).
Marnie Al-Saraf
Vania Auguste
Romina Basualdo
Aimee Delgado
Malu Duarte
Valerya Fedorenko
Karene Gonzalez
Brittany Hamilton
Nicole Hermanson
Peyton Hunton
Ashley Kaltwasser
Priscila Leimbacher
Lexus Redmond
Kathy Seitz
Nedjie Thompson
Petra Voldanova
Jessica Wilson
Wellness
Arnold Classic Wellness International titleholder Kassandra Gillis plans to continue her success on Saturday. She’s already won a contest this year at the 2023 Vancouver Island Showdown Pro and earned her Olympia invite. With that in mind, she hopes to win her first Pittsburgh Pro title this weekend.
Emily Azzarello
Anna Banks
Claire Cochet
Rayanne Collins
Lili Dong
Kassandra Gillis
Gisele Machado
Tefani-Sam Razhi
Jaqueline Huescas Rios
Alyssa Serna
Jennifer Zollars
2023 Pittsburgh Pro Guest Posing Lineup
On top of six contests, some of the sport’s best Men’s Open competitors will guest pose in Pittsburgh this weekend. The stage will feature 2021 Arnold Classic winner, Nick Walker, former two-time Mr. Olympia Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay, former 212 Olympia Derek Lunsford, reigning two-time 212 Olympia Shaun Clarida, 2022 Arnold Classic winner Samson Dauda, and Hunter Labrada.
Last year, Walker and Lunsford stole the show guest posing at the Pittsburgh Pro. Lunsford served as a backup replacement for Big Ramy who no-showed the event. At the gathering, fans enjoyed exciting performances from Brandon Curry and Hunter Labrada. It also laid the foundation for Lunsford to receive a special invitation to compete in the Open class for the 2022 Mr. Olympia competition, which he followed through on with a second-place finish.
RELATED: Hany Rambod Teases Big Package from Derek Lunsford at 2023 Pittsburgh Pro Guest Posing
Fans are counting down the hours until Jim Manion’s Pittsburgh Pro show. In addition to contests, the elite athletes in the Open class will also showcase their skills through guest posing. This will allow them to gain momentum and attract attention before they compete in the 2023 Mr. Olympia later in November.
Published: 12 May, 2023 | 1:26 PM EDT