The roster for the Arnold Classic has taken another hit.
The 2022 Arnold Classic is less than four weeks away and the roster has taken another hit. Nathan De Asha and Mohamed Shaaban have announced that they will miss the event with different injuries. Both bodybuilders took to Instagram to make their announcements on Monday.
The Arnold Classic is scheduled for March 3-6 in Columbus, OH. The event will return to the beginning of the year after being pushed to September in 2021 due to the pandemic. After preparing for the competition, De Asha and Shaaban become the second and third athletes to with draw.
Rafael Brandão made the decision to pull his name out of the Arnold Classic two weeks ago. The field began with 14 competitors and it is now down to 11 as the competition creeps closer.
Nathan De Asha
Nathan De Asha is coming off a strong showing during the 2021 season. This includes three shows and a victory during the Europa Pro Championships. He also finished the year with a win at the 2021 Yamamoto Cup. Heading into 2022, there was plenty of hype surrounding De Asha but that has been put on hold.
De Asha announced that he has suffered a torn bicep and will be forced to miss the Arnold Classic.
“About two-weeks ago I was doing a shoot in the gym. Trained biceps and felt a small pull, and thought, ‘ooh that feels a little bit funny’. A little bit strange. Went with my friends and my family to a center, and then it pulled again, and it just felt a little bit sore, a little bit hard. So, I phoned the doctor, and went to see the doctor on Monday or it was Wednesday. It wasn’t really bruised or nothing, he said to me I had a small tear in the bicep.”
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Mohamed Shaaban
Shortly after De Asha, Mohamed Shaaban shared a social media post explaining his current situation. He is suffering from bulging discs in his back that can become herniated if not properly treated. Because of this, Shaaban must pause training and will be unable to compete at the Arnold Classic.
Shaaban believes that this will be fixed and he can return to the stage. In 2021, Shaaban competed four times, including two consecutive second-place finishes. He won silver at the California Pro and Puerto Rico Pro. Shaaban finished his year with a 10th place finish at the Olympia.
“There’s been a few post out there and people messaging me about the Arnold classic ohio.
It’s with deep sadness that I have to inform everyone that I will not be able to compete in the Arnold 2022.
I’ve attached my MRI results, along with my doctors notes/video explaining my results for those that do not understand.
This has been a pain that I’ve dealt with since before the Olympia of last year. I tried my best to push through, but after several doctor visits in Egypt and California, my doctors believes that it is best I sit this out and fully recover or else I won’t able to compete in the future.”
Mohamed Shaaban shared information from his doctor and MRI results. It explained that he has straightening of the cervical spine lordosis along with disc disease in the cervical spine. This is especially hitting the C4-C5 to C6-C7 region.
2022 Arnold Classic Lineup
- William Bonac (Netherlands)
- Maxx Charles (United States)
- Brandon Curry (United States)
- Samson Dauda (United Kingdom)
- Regan Grimes (Canada)
- Steve Kuclo (United States)
- Cedric McMillan (United States)
- Fabio Giga Rezende (Brazil)
- Justin Rodriguez (United States)
- Brett Wilkin (United States)
- Akim Williams (United States)
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