Final qualification for Olympia 212 will go to the winner.
The 2023 Balkan Grand Prix is scheduled for Saturday October 7, 2023 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and this represents the last opportunity to qualify for the Olympia 2023 in the 212 division. The winner of this show receives an invitation to compete in Orlando, Florida, November 2-5, 2023.
Shows from the Classic Physique and Figure divisions will also be presented in Sofia. Likewise, the winners of each of these competitions will be eligible for the 2023 Olympia, provided they are not previously qualified athletes.
Professional lists for the 2023 Balkan Grand Prix
The compositions of the three competitions are below:
212 Bodybuilding
- Mohamed Alissa (UNITED STATES)
- Radoslav Angelov (Bulgaria)
- Gabor Berek (Hungary)
- Masoom Butt (Pakistan)
- Dobromir Delev (Bulgaria)
- Mostafa Eskandari (The Netherlands)
- Zhaofeng He (China)
- Mirnes Husanovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Muhammet Kurutas (Turkey)
- Ayat Najdbaghri (Iran)
- Marco Ruz (France)
Classical physics
- Ersin Adakli (Turkey)
- Hasan Alibrahim (The Netherlands)
- Alireza Aghayi Behjani (United Kingdom)
- Valéri Enchev (Bulgaria)
- Saverio Mangione (Italy)
- Nikolai Mitev (Bulgaria)
- Zhivko Petkov (Bulgaria)
- Valentin Petrov (Bulgaria)
- Roberto Martinez Pizana (Spain)
- Ruben Lopez Reyes (Spain)
- Karol Rogaczewski (Poland)
- Denis Romanov (Russia)
Figure
- Behnaz Nasrollahi Azar (Germany)
- Kristina Bodnariuk (Russia)
- Véronique Gallego (Spain)
- Chinese green (United Kingdom)
- Gabriela Hejna (Czech Republic)
- Ekaterina Kochergina (Russia)
- Krisztina Meleg (Hungary)
- Katja Nowack (Germany)
- Hannah Prause (Germany)
- Léna Ramsteiner (Germany)
- Paula Ranta (Finland)
- Lubomira Steftcheva (Bulgaria)
- Glynis Van Drunen (The Netherlands)
- Snezhana Vlahova (Bulgaria)
- Maria Wattel (The Netherlands)
- Yadviga Zakurina (Russia)
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212 athletes to watch
Here are three contenders likely to win the judges’ favor for podium spots:
Radoslav Angelov
Radoslav Angelov, originally from the host country, chose his place carefully. This will be his debut in the 2023 season and it will be in the only IFBB pro 212 competition in Bulgaria. He ranked 12th in the Olympia 212 2022 competition in its debut at the Olympia. Angelov is one of the favorites to win this show. If he wins gold, it would be his third professional career victory.
Marco Ruz
Frenchman Marco Ruz placed 15th at Olympia 2022 in the Classical Physique division. The third-year professional is making his professional debut in the 212 division, and his form could earn him a first mention. It’s unclear if his division change is permanent, but it’s exciting for fans to see him compete at a heavier weight.
Ayat Najdbaghri
Ayat Najdbaghri is one of the few competitors in this division who has recently competed, placing seventh overall. Europe Pro 2023 in his professional debut. He could do much better in a show of this scale, and qualifying for the Olympia in his first year is a major achievement.
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Artistic Athletes to Watch
Below are three figure athletes who are the favorites to reach the podium:
Paula Ranta
Paula Ranta completed the Olympia 2022 Figure outside the top 15, but he is looking for a return to the Olympic stage. She hasn’t won any of the five professional competitions she has entered so far, but she is one of the favorites in Sofia. His best result so far in the 2023 season was second overall in the 2023 Europa Pro.
Léna Ramsteiner
This is Lena Ramsteiner’s fourth and final attempt to qualify for the 2023 Olympia. She has not finished lower than fifth in any of her three previous professional shows. His best performance so far in 2023 has been second in Tupelo Pro 2023.
Hannah Prause
Hannah Prause finished fourth overall in her last two professional competitions – the 2023 Mr. Big Evolution Pro and the TRU Pro Athlete 2023. She has never finished higher than fourth in a professional show in her five-year career, but that could change in Sofia. She needs to be at her best to win gold, but it’s within her reach.
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Featured image: @theradoslavangelov on Instagram