And then there were 11. Two more athletes withdraw from the 2022 Arnold Classic Men’s Open competition, Nathan De Asha and Mohamed Shaaban, have dropped out of the event. Both men took to their respective Instagram accounts to share the news of injuries they’re battling, resulting in them not participating in the contest next month on March 4-5th, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.
Last month Rafael Brandao dropped out of the Arnold Classic. This makes 3 athletes that removed themselves from the roster. We’re surprised by this turn of events, but we know that the remaining athletes will be bringing their best stuff.
WHO IS NATHAN DE ASHA?
Nathan De Asha is an IFBB professional bodybuilder from Liverpool, England. De Asha first found success in soccer, where he played semi-pro for almost a decade before changing to rowing, then finally ended up la bodybuilder. In 2006, by the age of 21, De Asha competed at his first event, a local NBBA show where he took first place.
De Asha had some rough times between his first win and turning pro 8 years later, including some legal and health issues. However, in 2014 he won his pro card by taking first at the British Championships. Since then, De Asha has won 7 pro contests with his most recent wins at the 2021 IFBB Europa Pro Championship and the 2021 Arnold Classic UK.
Nathan De Asha Drops Out of 2022 Arnold Classic
De Asha posted a video on his Instagram where he detailed his injury as a torn left bicep that he suffered during a photo shoot. De Asha looks like he’s still training, and this is just a minor setback compared with other obstacles he overcame in the past. We hope he can heal quickly as we expected big things from him this year after his monstrous 2021, where he went 3-0 in major shows he competed in. Check out the video above where De Asha speaks about his current situation and decision to withdraw from the contest.
WHO IS MOHAMED SHAABAN?
Mohamed Shaaban is an Egyptian IFBB professional bodybuilder who transformed from a carpenter in 2015 to a winning bodybuilder by 2018. Shaaban won the Portugal Pro in 2018, which was just his second contest as a pro. Shaaban has frequently been competing in the past few years and has packed on some serious size. Last year Shaaban participated in 4 shows, with best finishes coming in 2nd at both the California Pro and Puerto Rico Pro.
Mohamed Shaaban Drops Out of 2022 Arnold Classic
Just a while after De Asha shared the unfortunate news, Mohamed Shaaban also took to his Instagram, where he told us why he wouldn’t be competing at the 2022 Arnold Classic. Shaaban shared everything from a doctor’s note to MRI results to his orthopedic doctor speaking about the situation. Shaaban is facing spinal issues such as bulging discs that can become herniated. He wants to avoid bigger problems by following the doctor's recommendations.
Current 2022 Arnold Classic Lineup
As of now, we’re not sure who will replace these two athletes. For now the 11 known competitors from 6 countries are listed below in alphabetical order:
- William Bonac - Netherlands
- Maxx Charles - USA
- Brandon Curry - USA
- Samson Dauda - United Kingdom
- Regan Grimes - Canada
- Steve Kuclo - United States
- Cedric McMillan - USA
- Fabio Giga Rezende - Brazil
- Justin Rodriguez - USA
- Brett Wilkin - USA
- Akim Williams - USA
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Injuries often hamper bodybuilders’ progressions in their careers, so we can only hope that these two get enough rest and rehab to get back to optimal shape. Both De Asha and Shaaban will be missed next month.
Kiel DiGiovanni
Author