It’s been a busy post-Olympia season for some of the top contenders in the Classic Physique division. Within the last few weeks, we’ve seen Urs Kalecinski deliver two standout performances at the Texas State Pro and EVLS Prague Pro, Terrance Ruffin secure his second win of the season at the Sheru Classic Pro, and 2024 Olympia qualifying wins from Wesley Vissers and Logan Franklin at the Romania Muscle Fest and Shawn Ray Hawaiian Pro shows.
However, despite the flurry of activity from some of the most prominent names in the division, right now, the most impressive outing from any of the would-be title contenders may have come last weekend at the NPC Masters Brazil from Olympia runner up, Ramon Dino. The reigning Arnold Classic champion’s guest posing appearance drew plenty of attention, thanks in large part to the eye-popping size and fullness he put on display.
Despite finishing behind Chris Bumstead on the Olympia stage for the second straight year, the resounding sentiment from fans and judges alike following this year’s contest seemed to indicate that Ramon is beginning to close the gap between himself and the reigning five-time champion – and this latest surge might be coming at the perfect time.
Rumors of CBum’s potential exit from the Classic Physique stage have been swirling around for the better part of the last twelve months, and those grumblings only seemed to have intensified recently following post-Olympia announcement from Chris and his wife Courtney that they are expecting their first child during the 2024 contest season. This, coupled with the series of injuries that he’s dealt with as of late, including a torn lat suffered during prep for this year’s contest, in addition to his ongoing battle with an autoimmune condition, which he received stem cell treatment for recently, has caused many to speculate as to whether this year’s Olympia may have been his final curtain call on an IFBB stage.
Although at this point it’s still unclear as to whether he is planning to comeback and defend his title at the Arnold Classic in March, or if we have seen the last of Chris Bumstead on the Classic Physique Olympia stage, it is safe to say that Ramon, who continues to improve by leaps and bounds each and every time out, appears to be the heir apparent to the throne, and could be on the verge of starting his own legacy as the undisputed king of the division by this time next year.
