Arnold Classic Europe 2017 Results: Mamdouh Elssbiay Takes Home Victory

Mamdouh Elssbiay won the men's professional bodybuilding event at the 2017 Arnold Classic Europe in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday. In the process, "Big Ramy" claimed the $100,000 prize money on offer to the winner.

Big Ramy finished ahead of William Bonac and Shawn Rhoden, per Generation Iron. The 33-year-old made good on the prejudging prediction of Generation Iron senior analyst and producer Shawn Ray:

The win for Elssbiay means this event has a new victor for the first time in three years, after Dexter Jackson won the previous two editions of the tournament.

Big Ramy took the stage in a confident mood and soon showed off the build and definition destined to wow the judges. The tournament's official Instagram account relayed a snap of the Egyptian showcasing his physique:

Bonac simply couldn't match Elssbiay's display, despite his own best efforts:

Rhoden also made his own strong contribution to the event. Generation Iron showed highlights of the 42-year-old Jamaican on stage:

He entered this event with a credible pedigree, having won the tournament back in 2012.

Ultimately, though, no other competitor in the bodybuilding event looked likely to stop Elssbiay becoming a worthy winner. It's a step forward for the athlete who recently finished as runner-up to Phil Heath, who did not compete in Barcelona, at the 2017 Mr. Olympia event.

The tournament's official Twitter account showed the winner receiving his prize from event founder Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Big Ramy now appears primed to supplant Jackson as the premier bodybuilder in his field. However, a win over Heath must surely come at some point before Elssbiay can truly be considered the man to beat.