On Sunday, May 14, 2023, Hungary hosted the IFBB Pro League’s 2023 Tropicarium Budapest Pro show. The Bikini and Men’s Physique divisions held Olympia-qualifying contests, and two champions were crowned.
On the ladies’ side of the stage, Zsofia Reka Molnar emerged victorious as the Bikini champion with her first pro win. On the Men’s side, Riccardo Croci won the Men’s Physique show over Balint Nemeth, who placed second. Taking third place was Benedikt Lucas. Both Croci and Molnar are qualified to compete in the 2023 Olympia in Orlando, FL, on the weekend of Nov. 2-5.
2023 Tropicarium Budapest Pro Results
The final standings for the Men’s Physique division and top 10 standings for the Bikini division are below:
Men’s Physique
- Riccardo Croci
- Balint Nemeth
- Benedikt Lucas
- Simon Pietro Arena
- Rory Gissing
Bikini
- Zsofia Reka Molnar
- Lisa Reith
- Cristobalina Pajares
- Martyna Derlat
- Renata Nowak
- Rukiye Solak
- Laura Zakharias
- Vania Maria Mesquita
- Noora Mahonen
- Giulia Silvestri
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Men’s Physique Winner — Riccardo Croci
Croci was the best out of the five Men’s Physique athletes. He scored his third pro victory and is qualified for the Men’s Physique Olympia for the third time. He finished out of the top 15 in both of his previous Olympia appearances in 2022 and 2020.
Bikini Winner — Zsofia Reka Molnar
Molnar made her 2023 season debut in the best way possible: winning the 2023 Tropicarium Budapest Pro gives her more freedom to compete as the 2023 season progresses. Since she’s qualified for the 2023 Olympia, she can either wait to compete until then in November, or she can jump in additional pro shows to earn more titles and potentially block other Bikini athletes from qualifying for the Olympia. As of the time of this article’s publication, she has not shared what her plans are going forward.
Bikini Second Place — Lisa Reith
Reith flew from Germany to Hungary to compete in this show and left as the runner-up. This was one place up from her third-place finish at the 2023 1 Bro Pro Show earlier in the season. This is the most successful year of her short career, but she needs to score a pro show win to compete in Orlando at the 2023 Olympia.
Bikini Third Place — Cristobalina Pajares
This was Pajares’ first pro show since the 2021 Nashville Fit Pro, where she ranked second. She hoped to score her first pro win since 2019 and the second Olympia qualification of her career. Pajares placed 14th in her 2019 Olympia appearance.
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Other Notes
The next Men’s Physique competitions on the 2023 IFBB pro calendar are the New York Pro in Teaneck, NJ, and the Optimum Classic in Shreveport, LA, on Saturday, May 20. Santiago, Chile, will host the 2023 Sur Pro Cup Chile contest on Sunday, May 21. Bikini division shows will also be held in New Jersey and Louisiana.
Featured Image: @zsofiamolnar_ on Instagram