2024 Arnold Classic UK Results
Less than two weeks after the historic Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH, promoter Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team were putting on another major event across the pond. The Arnold Classic UK weekend was held on March 15-17 in Birmingham, England, and the fans were treated to seven more great IFBB Pro League shows as well as incredible strongman and strongwoman performances. In case you missed any of the shows, you can check out the replays by registering at the Arnold Sports UK site. In the meantime, here’s a quick summary.
Choopan Wins Again
2022 Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan wasn’t even sure he was going to compete in the Arnold Classic UK until a few days out from the competition because he had to secure a visa to travel. Obviously, he was able to do just that, and he held off six other Men’s Open superstars to win his second straight Arnold Classic contest. Samson Dauda, who was also on the brink of not competing due to health issues, managed to show up here even better than he did in Columbus, but he still had to settle for second place in his home country. Akim Williams rounded out the top three, and Canadian superstar Antoine Vaillant was placed seventh in the lineup.
- Hadi Choopan
- Samson Dauda
- Akim Williams
- Jon Delarosa
- James Hollingshead
- Mohamed Shaaban
- Antoine Vaillant
Wesley Vissers Wins Back-to-Back Arnold Titles
There were three other men’s shows held in Birmingham, but Canada was not represented in any of those contests. As he did in Columbus, Wesley Vissers secured the Classic Physique title over a very impressive Breon Ansley. This really solidifies Vissers as the number one contender to Chris Bumstead at this year’s Classic Physique Olympia contest.
- Wesley Vissers
- Breon Ansley
- Urs Kalecinski
- Michael Daboul
- Emanuele Ricotti
- Denis Romanov
- Joshua Eastham
Corey Morris Surprised Everyone
Corey Morris pulled off the upset of the weekend by taking the Men’s Physique title over Arnold Classic US winner Diogo Montenegro. Corey has been making a strong name for himself for some time now, but this win was a big one for him. He made some serious improvements after placing 5th at the Arnold Men’s Physique in Ohio just two weeks prior.
- Corey Morris
- Diogo Montenegro
- Vitor Chaves
- Clarence McSpadden Jr
- Mahmood Al-Maghrabi
- Kadeem Hillman
Andruilli Adds Another Victory
And in the category that we here at Muscle Insider find to be one of the most inspiring of all, Gabriele Andruilli held off Nick Hewitt to win the Men’s Wheelchair Bodybuilding championship. We look forward to seeing the rematch with Andruilli and Rajesh John at the historic 60th Olympia in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 10-13, 2024.
- Gabriele Andruilli
- Nick Hewitt
Jaclyn Baker Wins Fitness Internation UK Title
The second shocker of the weekend came in the Fitness division. Many fans expected three-time Fitness International winner Ariel Khadr to take the UK title as well. However, Jaclyn Baker managed to put together a great physique and performance routine to pull off the upset victory. Khadr finished in second place, Michelle Fredua-Mensah took bronze, and Canada’s own Abby Bolton secured fourth place.
- Jaclyn Baker
- Ariel Khadr
- Michelle Fredua-Mensah
- Abby Bolton
- Aurika Tyrgale
- Michaela Pavleova
Canadian Duchesneau Takes Top Three in Bikini
The Bikini division was the largest field for the show, and there were several notable finishes in this show. Vania Auguste was not on anyone’s radar as a favorite, but she managed to take the win and 2024 Olympia qualification as well over runner-up Tara Grier. We also saw the rise of a new Canadian star in the form of bronze finisher Marie-Eve Duchesneau. You can expect to see her in the running for other titles throughout the season if she chooses to compete again.
- Vania Auguste
- Tara Grier
- Marie-Eve Duchesneau
- Angelica Teixeira
- Elie Fernandez
- Phoebe Hagan
Leonida Ciobu Was Stunning in Wellness
Last, but not least, was the Wellness International UK contest. There were five athletes in the lineup, and Leonida Ciobu of Moldova would be crowned champion at the end of the contest. Juliana Mota and Sandra Colorado Acal took second and third, respectively. There were no Canadian competitors in this show.
- Leonida Ciobu
- Juliana Mota
- Sandra Colorado Acal
- Rosa Benadero Munoz
- Amanda Burnett
Mitchell Hooper Wins Again in Strongman
Canadian strongman superstar Mitchell Hooper continues to establish his dominance as the number one man in his sport. The 2023 World’s Strongest Man and two-time Arnold Strongman Classic champion added the Arnold Strongman UK trophy to his mantle. The new father held off the legendary Hafþór Björnsson as well as six other incredible men to win this contest by two points. Hooper can credit his 195-kilogram triple in the Austrian Oak Log Press and his win in the Farmer’s Walk event as two reasons for his victory. He never placed below third in any of the five events. Another Canadian, Maxime Boudreault, finished the competition in the top five as well.
Lucy Underdown Wins in Dramatic Finish
Canada also had two athletes in the strongwoman competition. Boudreault’s partner, Sam Belliveau, secured a top five overall finish while Melissa Peacock took seventh place in that competition. The winner was home country favorite Lucy Underdown, who won via tiebreaker over American Angelica Jardine.
What were your thoughts about the Arnold Classic UK? Did you see any of the results any different than the judges, and how impressed were you by the athletes in the strongman and strongwoman competitions? Let us know on social media by following and commenting on our posts @muscleinsider.
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