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Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced that the prize money of the Arnold Classic 2025 will be increased from $300,000 to $500,000. This announcement came after the conclusion of this year's event on Sunday.
Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan clinched the title this time around beating various former winners of the event. Choopan came back strongly after his 2023 Mr Olympia loss to win the Arnold Classic title and take home $300,000. The victory proved that Choopan could still give the reigning Mr. Olympia, Derek Lunsford a tough battle.
However, this was not the only headline from the final day of the tournament. After Arnold Schwarzenegger handed the title to Choopan, he picked up the mic and announced the hike in prize money. He said:
"I have more good news and that is, this year the winning prize is $300,000. But next year, as you know the winning prize for the Olympia is $400,000, and I don’t feel obliged anymore for the rules anymore for the rules so we are going to go to $500,000 for next year for the Arnold Classic.”
The Arnold Classic event, established in 1989 is one of the most prestigious bodybuilding events in the world alongside Mr. Olympia and is one of the major events of the Arnold Festival. The festival was established by Arnold Schwarzenegger and FBI agents Jim Lorimer and Terry Todd.
Arnold Strongman Classic- another prominent event of the Arnold Festival besides the Arnold Classic
The Arnold Strongman Classic besides the Arnold Classic is one of the toughest bodybuilding competitions in the world. Initially, the competition was not a part of the Arnold Festival.
However, after the request of American bodybuilder Terry Todd, the event was included in the festival. The event was launched in 2002 and former WWE superstar and bodybuilder Mark Henry became the first winner of the event. Over the years, the craze for the event has increased.
The event has various categories such as Tire Deadlift, Circus Dumbbell, Manhood Stones. Zydrunas Savickas has been one of the most successful performers in the history of the event with five consecutive titles from 2003 to 2008.
The 2024 event was held in Ohio at the Columbus Convention Centre. Mitchell Hooper, the reigning champion clinched the title once again. Polish strongman Mateusz Kieliszkowski registered the second position on the podium. Tom Stoltman and Hafthor Bjornsson clinched the third and fourth positions respectively.
