The results of the 2022 Arnold Classic South America are in, Brazilian bodybuilder Rafael Brandão won the Men's Open title. The 2022 Arnold Classic South America was held over the weekend from April 30-May 1st, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. All eyes were on the Men's Open division, where 10 athletes battled it out for the title. Let's look at the final results below.
2022 Arnold Classic South America Results & Recap
The 2022 Arnold Classic South America comes just over a month after the 2022 Arnold Classic that was held in Columbus, Ohio. The favorite going into the competition was Rafael Brandão, the hometown hero of Brazil. Brandão pulling out of the Arnold Classic now seems like it was the right choice as he had adequate time to prepare for the Arnold Classic South America.
After securing the win, Brandão is now on his way to compete at the 2022 Olympia. This is Brandão's second big win, with his first coming from the 2021 Romania Muscle Fest.
In second place stood fellow Brazilian Victor Hugo Boff, who came up short against Brandão in the final judging. However, Boff received 8 points towards the Olympia qualification system, which will help propel him to a spot in the 2022 Olympia if he continues to perform well in future contests.
Rounding out the podium was Thiago Lens Adao, who seemed to come out of nowhere. If Adao can improve his overall size, he will be someone to keep tabs on in upcoming bodybuilding shows.
Check out the results below and the prize purse for the top three winners.
- Winner: Rafael Brandão ($10,055)
- Second Place:Vitor Hugo Boff ($4,022)
- Third Place: Thiago Lens Adao ($2,011)
- Fourth Place: William Martins
- Fifth Place: Emir Omeragic
- Sixth Place: Alan Ramino Bonadiman
- Seventh Place: Marcelo Pedro da Cruz
- Eighth Place: Jefferson Santos
- Ninth Place: Eduardo Rodriguez
- Tenth Place: Iman Rezari
An interesting occurrence to mention was Sibusiso Kotel, who had a great showing early in the contest but was later disqualified as he missed the pre-judging that took place on Saturday night due to a miscommunication.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
With this win, Rafael Brandão proved that he's a top contender in the bodybuilding world. He's the first Brazilian to win this event's nine-year history. SET FOR SET congratulates all the athletes who put on a great show. We think Brandão has a chance to make some waves at the 2022 Olympia, which is scheduled to take place in December.
Stay tuned for the next big Men's Open competition at the 2022 Indy Pro, slated to happen on May 14th, 2022.
Kiel DiGiovanni
Author