Juan Morel’s extremely impressive physique earned him a first-place finish this past weekend at the 2019 Arnold Classic South America. The fitness exposition, which took place in São Paulo, Brazil on April 12-14, brought out some of the best pro bodybuilders in the world to compete in the men’s open bodybuilding competition.
In the end, Morel took the men’s open title over runners up Rafael Brandão, Akim Williams, Essa Obaid, and Eddie Bracamontes. He was extremely grateful following the big win and the accompanying opportunity to be interviewed by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.
Morel has come a long way from his boxing background. He originally began weight training to improve his boxing performance before falling in love with the sport of bodybuilding. In 2011, he earned his IFBB pro card and has been making strides ever since.
Although the annual Arnold Sports Festival in Ohio is the more popular event, its South American alternate packs its own punch, featuring a laundry list of competitive events. On top of the traditional bodybuilding and Strongman competitions, the Transamerica Expo Center was jam-packed with other competitions in BMX biking, jump roping, and even pole dancing over the Arnold weekend. Take a look below to catch some of the action.
