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The 2024 Arnold Sports Festival UK was held from March 15-17 just two weeks after the 2024 Arnold Sports Festival in Ohio. The tournament was held at the NEC in Birmingham, England.
The tournament was also a chance for many of the bodybuilders to qualify for 2024 Mr. Olympia. Hadi Choopan triumphed in the main event of the expo after he beat six other competitors including home favorites, Samson Dauda and Akim Williams, to win his second tournament in two weeks. Choopan also bagged the title during the tournament held in Columbus recently.
Wesley Vissers won the Physique UK championship with two-time Physique Olympia winners, Breon Ansley and Urs Kalecinski, finishing second and third respectively.
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Vania Auguste won the 2024 Bikini International UK with her countrymate Tara Grier from the USA finishing as runner-up. Marie-Eve Duchesneau from Canada finished in third position in the event.
Corey Morris finished the tournament as the 2024 UK Men's Physique champion. He beat the likes of Diogo Montenegro and Victor Chaves (both past winners) to bag the trophy.
Other notable winners from the expo include Jaclyn Baker (2024 Fitness International UK), Leondia Ciobu (2024 Wellness International UK) and Gabrielle Andriulli (2024 Arnold Classic Wheelchair). All the winners were handed their trophies by the man himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The official social media handle of the expo shared photos of all the winners with the caption:
"Congratulations to our 2024 Arnold Classic UK winners!"
Arnold Sports Festival- Origin and its growth
The Arnold Sports Festival is the second most prestigious bodybuilding tournament in the world and is only behind Joe Weider's Olympia. The inaugural Arnold Sports Festival which was held in 1989 only had two tournaments in its roaster- Arnold Classic, the men's version of bodybuilding, and Ms International subsequently for the women's version.
Over the years the festival has grown and has added various other tournaments to its roster such as the Strongman Classic, Classic Physique and the Men's and Women's Fitness Internationals. Various other sports such as weightlifting, MMA and arm-wrestling were also introduced at the festival at different times.
The craze for the tournament has evolved and has attracted athletes from far corners of the globe such as Asia, Africa and South America. The event also offers handsome prize money worth $300,000. However, the popularity of the event among the masses is not because of its staggering prize money but due to its tough competitive nature.
