On Saturday morning at Olympia Expo 2022, over 170 attendees shot their shots at glory at the Venetian Expo. The Classic Physique, Men's Physique and Bikini Prelims all took place in front of hundreds of fans in Las Vegas.
CBum to Four-peat?
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The most popular athlete in the room was M&F cover model Chris Bumstead, who defended his title against 58 challengers. As expected, the champion was adored by the many fans in attendance and they clamored in support of CBum. At the end of the prelim, it wasn't former champion Breon Ansley or Arnold Classic Men's Physique winner Terrence Ruffin alongside him in the final callout. It was Ramon "Dino" Rocha Querioz, and fans couldn't get enough of the comparisons. Bumstead is expected to retain his title, but Querioz is poised to take a big step up in his division.
Hendrickson faces three challengers in men's physics.
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Three-time Men's Physique Olympia winner Brandon Hendrickson had expected to meet rival Erin Banks in the prelim, but he didn't expect Diego Montenegro and former Fit to Serve player Charjo Grant to be in the first and last callouts . But these four men went shot by shot to determine the favorite going into the final later tonight at the Zappos Theater. Hendrickson is looking to join Jeremy Buendia as the only four-time champion in division history and is setting up a very interesting showdown for 2023 when Buendia returns next year. Just like Bumstead, fans are expecting exactly what happens in Saturday night's finale.
New stars appear in bikinis
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Jennifer Dorie faced three former Bikini Olympia winners – Janet Layug, Elisa Pecini and Ashley Kaltwasser – in her title defense. They were among 59 competitors who graced the stage at the Venetian. Dorie was as great as ever, and there's a good chance Bob Cicherillo will be announcing "and still" again tonight at the Zappos Theater. In addition to Dorie, the final callout included Kaltwasser, Daraja Hill and Maureen Blanquisco. These competitors will join the remaining top ten in the finals, which begin at 19:00 local time. The fifth Wheelchair Olympics is still to come at the Venetian, where Harold Kelley will claim his fifth consecutive title and remain the only champion in the division's short history.
The finals of these three competitions as well as the 58th Mr. Olympia will all take place and the champions will all get their moments in the spotlight. Tonight's show is sold out, but you can buy the pay-per-view at www.olympiaproductions.com and join all fans around the world to find out who will emerge as the 2022 World Champion.
