Wheelchair Bodybuilding Icon Creates History, Wins Pro Card in an Extraordinary Way

The 2024 Toronto Pro Supershow turned out to be a memorable competition for Kristof Harnos. The Wheelchair bodybuilder has been competing for years and was eager to showcase his incredible physique at Canada’s most prestigious bodybuilding contest. However, little did the bodybuilder know that he would achieve his dream and more.

The official Mr. Olympia social media handle posted about the incredible turn of fortune for Harnos. “Finals at the Toronto Pro Qualifier. At any Pro Qualifier, there needs to be at least 5 athletes in a specific division to earn an IFBB Pro Card,” the explained in the caption. The bodybuilding page also revealed what could happen when five pros from a specific division don’t compete.

While one possibility would be canceling the contest, there is a far more constructive option. “If there are fewer than 5 athletes, a petition can be made to the IFBB Professional League for review,” they wrote. So WCBB Chairman Nick Scott “petitioned in a very specific way during the event,” after being impressed with Harnos’s physique. The IFBB Pro League reviewed the petition and granted Kristof Harnos his IFBB Pro card.

The post also clarified that after earning his pro card, the wheelchair bodybuilding competitor would be “allowed to compete,” with the pros of his division. The pros in Toronto competed to earn their Mr. Olympia qualification. Kristof Harnos’s promotion to a pro is reminiscent of how Lee Priest got to compete at the Niagara Falls Pro Invitational in 1993.

Priest had traveled to The States to compete at the Niagara Falls Amateur contest. However, while training at Gold Gym, NPC President Jim Manion spotted the talented Australian bodybuilder. Manion convinced the IFBB to grant Priest his pro card.

For Kristof Harnos, getting his pro card was just the beginning.

The most significant show in Kristof Harnos’s bodybuilding career 

After earning his pro card, the wheelchair bodybuilder competed in the finals. During his first pro bodybuilding contest, the competitive bodybuilder showed that the WCBB Chairman’s trust in him was not misplaced. “It’s astonishing! After getting the PRO card, Kristóf finished his first professional competition with a gold medal,” Richard Kohari posted on Instagram.

“This victory qualifies him for the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas. All this going on this weekend is an unbelievable and indescribable feeling,” added Kohari. In the span of two days, Kristoff Harnos became the second bodybuilder to earn his pro card and win his first pro contest at the same show, qualifying for the Olympia. Amit Agre from India did the same on 9th June at the Sheru Classic.

The 2024 Toronto Pro became a significant milestone for Kristof Harnos, as he will now prepare to compete against the best of his division at the 2024 Mr. Olympia.