Six IFBB Pro League shows are scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 26-27, 2023. One of those is the Tokyo Pro in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023. This show will feature competitors from 13 countries in three divisions – Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, and Bikini. All three winners will qualify for the 2023 Olympia Weekend in Orlando, FL, on Nov. 2-5, 2023.
2023 Tokyo Pro Rosters
The rosters for those three contests are below, with names in alphabetical order.
Classic Physique
- Takumi Amano (Japan)
- Brent Bumgarner (USA)
- Neng Chen (China)
- Hanjin Choi (Korea)
- Kei Furukoshi (Japan)
- Shui Tian He (China)
- Shoichi Hirokawa (Japan)
- Kobi Ifrach (Israel)
- Nur Irfan (Singapore)
- Shicheng Jin (China)
- Shin Kodama (Japan)
- Gi Hyun Kwon (Korea)
- Jun Kwon (Korea)
- Thomas Kunz (Switzerland)
- Hyun Seok Lee (Korea)
- Ka Sing Lee (HKSAR)
- Yongseung Lee (Korea)
- Ying Qi Lei (China)
- Wei Gang Li (China)
- Li-Hsuan Liu (District of Taiwan)
- Chen Hui Lu (China)
- Yasuhi Murakami (Japan)
- Eugene Nagashima (Japan)
- Jorge Abraham Trejo Reyes (USA)
- Dong O Ryu (Korea)
- Wang Siang (District of Taiwan)
- Takuya Sonobe (Japan)
- Hang Sang Tae (Korea)
- Naoto Takemoto (Japan)
- Shi Tian Wang (China)
- Kehang Wang (China)
- Ziqiang Wang (USA)
- Zhao Nian Xu (China)
- In Seong You (Korea)
- Jiangang Zhu (China)
Men’s Physique
- Ka King Cheung (HKSAR)
- XiaoLong Hong (China)
- Nobuyuki Ichikwa (Japan)
- Shun Kaneko (Japan)
- Edward Kato (Japan)
- Tomohito “Jin” Koike (Japan)
- Eric Neal (USA)
- Carlos Asiedu Ocran (China)
- Ryohei Okada (Japan)
- Khrisna Purnama Putra (Indonesia)
- Joven Sagabain (Philippines)
- Shogo Sato (Japan)
- Joshua Eng Cherng Shin (Malaysia)
- Liang Xuan Sun (China)
- Natsuki Takaramuka (Japan)
- Ryo Terashima (Japan)
- Siang Wang (District of Taiwan)
- Yukihiro Yuasa (Japan)
Bikini
- MinHee Baek (Korea)
- Sol Han (Korea)
- Amanda Lee Jiawen (Singapore)
- Heather Hei Man Kam (HKSAR)
- Yume Kurokawa (Japan)
- Shuai Li (China)
- Noriko Ohara (Japan)
- Bola Seo (District of Taiwan)
- Yurika Shigemoto (USA)
- Kana Suzuki (Japan)
- Jiaqi Wei (China)
- Josephine Yeong (Malaysia)
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Classic Physique Athletes to Watch
Below are Classic Physique contenders who’ll likely battle in first callouts.
In Seong You
The largest contest out of the three divisions is Classic Physique. In Seong You has one show under his trunks this season. He placed eighth at the AGP South Korea Classic. He’s on this show’s short list of athletes with Olympia experience. He finished outside the top 15 in 2021. He could be considered a favorite to win this show.
Hyun Seok Lee
Hyun Seok Lee will be making his professional debut at this competition. He earned his pro status by winning the 2022 NPC Worldwide Asia Grand Prix Pro qualifier contest. Even though he is part of a large lineup, several newcomers and pros have limited experience. So, this could be a solid opportunity to win and claim the Olympia qualification.
Thomas Kunz
Thomas Kunz is making his 2023 debut, and he could be considered a dark horse to take the win. He was seventh in the 2022 Fit Parada Pro, but he opted to take the remainder of that season as well as the start of the 2023 season off to make improvements. A show like this one would be a great opportunity to earn a first win and grace the Olympia stage in November.
Bikini Athletes to Watch
Below is a trio of Bikini athletes who enter the show as favorites to reach the podium.
Yurika Shigemoto
The 2022 Tokyo Pro Bikini division winner is back to defend her title. Yurika Shigemoto was 12th at the 2022 Bikini Olympia, and she hopes a second Tokyo Pro title will take her back to Orlando to improve on that. She’s competed three times already in 2023, and her highest finish is second at the Orchid Pro.
MinHee Baek
MinHee Baek was fourth in the 2022 edition of the Tokyo Pro. She has competed once so far this season, and it was also in Japan. The third-year pro placed eighth in the Japan Pro. She will be looking for her first win and Olympia qualification.
Bola Seo
Bola Seo will be making her 2023 season debut at this competition. She was the 2022 Korea Pro winner but didn’t compete in that year’s Olympia. She was eighth in the 2022 Tokyo Pro.
Featured image: @youinseong777 on Instagram
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