2023 Arnold Classic - Ramon 'Dino' wins Classic Physique as Erin Banks continues his Men's Physique dominance
The 2023 Arnold Classic has come to an end after offering a weekend full of incredible action. This year, the Classic enjoyed an exceptional amount of talent owing to its increasing popularity and heightened prize money.
The two most popular events at the Arnold Classic after the Men's Open are the Classic Physique and the Men's Physique. The two events have come to a conclusion after experiencing two very convincing victories from Ramon 'Dino' Rocha Queiroz and Erin Banks.
2023 Arnold Classic: Classic Physique category
With former champion Terrence Ruffin and current Olympia champion Chris Bumstead opting not to participate, the stage was set for a new Classic Physique champion.
A total of seven participants competed in the division for a record $60,000, $10,000 more than what the Olympia currently offers.
The competition Ramon 'Dino' had to overcome was filled with world-class talent. This included former Aronold Classic champion Alex Cambronero and German Urs Kalecinski.
The pre-judging show saw four competitors emerge as favorites to win the Classic Physique - Ramon 'Dino', Urs Kalecinski, Alex Cambronero, and Mike Sommerfeld. The four made it to the first callout and displayed a variety of physiques.
Cambronero's biggest strength were his quads. They resembled the quads of a top men's Open division competitor. This landed him in the fifth spot below fourth-placed Mike Sommerfield, who lacked upper-body definition, especially in comparison to his carved out legs.
The top three spots were very closely contested. Cambronero finished in third but arguably had the most-proportionate physique and the most defined back at the event.
Urs Kalecinski finished ahead of Cambronero after showcasing a near-perfect V-shape and an exceptional posing routine that included some dance moves.
Ramon won the competition and it wasn't just because of his size. The Brazilian had the best conditioning of the lot. He also posed with the most-complete package and had no apparent weaknesses, significantly better than his physique in the 2022 Olympia.
Erin Banks continues to dominate his division by winning the Men's Physique category
Leading up to the Arnold Classic, Erin Banks won the 2022 Men's Physique Olympia convincingly, upsetting three-time Olympia champion Brandon Hendrikson.
Going into the Arnold Classic, he remained the favorite to win despite a stacked line-up that included names such as Diogo Montenegro, Vitor Chave, and Emanual Hunter.
Hendrikson opted out of this year's Arnold Classic, which made Diogo Montenegro, who finished third in the 2022 Olympia, Banks' primary opposition.
Montenegro brought a drastically improved, diced, and complete package to the 2023 Classic, but this was not enough to beat Banks. Montenegro finished second, ahead of third-placed Emanuel Hunter.
The three athletes, along with Carlos DeOliveira and Vitor Chavez, made the first callout but only Banks and Montenegro made the final one as the frontrunners.
Erin Banks won the competition convincingly despite Diogo Montenegro's improvements in the final. Banks arguably has the most symmetrical and aesthetic physique across all the professional divisions. His shoulder-to-waist ratio is simply uncontested by any other bodybuilder in the world.
It certainly looks like Banks will continue to dominate the division for a long time to come.