Last Updated on November 11, 2023
Two-time Arnold Classic champion William “The Conqueror” Bonac and 2019 winner Brandon “The Prodigy” Curry will renew their rivalry at the 2022 Arnold Classic in March in Columbus, Ohio.
Bonac and Curry are among 83 athletes from eight divisions invited to compete in the 2022 Arnold Classic and related IFBB Pro League events at the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival set for March 3-6, 2022.
This year’s event will feature Arnold Classic Men’s Open Bodybuilding Prejudging as part of the Friday Night Finals and the highly-anticipated inaugural Wellness International.
Bonac won the Arnold Classic in 2018 and 2020 while finishing second in 2019 when Curry took home the Arnold Classic champion’s trophy. Bonac was also runner-up when Curry won Mr. Olympia in 2019. Also in the 34th Annual Arnold Classic field is 2017 champion Cedric McMillan and 2021 top five finishers Steve Kuclo (3rd), Justin Rodriguez (4th), and Akim Williams (5th).
In Arnold Classic Physique, 2021 champion Terrence Ruffin tops a field of nine that also includes 2018 winner Breon Ansley. Ruffin, Ansley, Urs Kalecinski, and Ramon Rocha Queiroz all finished in the top five at the 2021 Mr. Olympia.
Erin Banks and Diogo Montenegro lead a field of 10 in Arnold Men’s Physique after finishing second and third, respectively, at the 2021 Mr. Olympia.
Missy Truscott will return to the Arnold stage in search of her third straight Fitness International title. Three athletes who finished in the top five in 2021 — Ariel Khadr (3rd), Jaclyn Baker (4th), and Aurika Tyrgale (5th) — are back and looking to win the Fitness International for the first time.
The past two champions of the Figure International return to Columbus in search of a second title. Natalia Soltero won the Figure International title in 2020 and Cydney Gillon took home the top spot in 2019. Jessica Reyes Padilla and Larhannah Robinson, among others, are expected to challenge.
Former champions Elisa Pecini and Ashley Kaltwasser and inaugural Arnold Sports Festival UK winner Phoebe Hagan are among 10 athletes in Bikini International. Pecini won in Columbus in 2020 and Kalwasser took top honors in 2014 and 2015.
In the inaugural Wellness International, five of the top six from the 2021 Wellness Olympia will battle for the title, including Angela Borges, Isabelle Nunes, Yarishna Ayala, and Julia Chitarra, who finished second through sixth in Orlando in October.
Five-time defending champion Harold “King Kong” Kelley is the favorite to make it six in a row in Arnold Classic Pro Wheelchair.
The Arnold Classic Physique, Fitness International and Figure International Finals, and Arnold Classic Men’s Open Bodybuilding Prejudging will highlight the Arnold Friday Night Finals on March 4, 2022. The Arnold Classic, Arnold Men’s Physique, Bikini International, and Wellness International Finals will take place during the Arnold Saturday Night Finals on March 5, 2022.
All finals are at the Battelle Grand at the Greater Columbus Convention Center while all prejudging except for Men’s Open Bodybuilding will be on the Arnold Expo Stage.
