Mika Sihvonen – Finland’s bodybuilding star is ready to dominate.
Finland’s Mika Sihvonen is ready to fight for the top prize at the 2022 Arnold Classic Europe, and dominate the IFBB Elite Pro bodybuilding division.
Mika Sihvonen, has been dominating the amateur and pro bodybuilding divisions in Europe for the past five years.
Sihvonen is proof that you don’t have to be the biggest bodybuilder on stage to be successful.
Mika has competed in the under 90kg division and as well in the open division, going up against athletes much bigger than him. Regardless of their size dominance, Mika still succeeded in defeating them.
Mika has been having great success since he stepped on the IFBB Amateur stage in 2017.
In 2017, Mika was hungry for success and competed in eight amateur events, until he earned his pro status.
In 2017, Mika placed second in the Open Division at the Finnish Open, this great result was proof Mika can compete with the best in the world. Building from this result, Mika knew he could continue this positive run of results.
The next event was the 2017 IFBB Diamond Cup Portugal. Mika placed first in the -80kg division at this event, stamping his authority as one of the best amateur bodybuilders in the world.
The next event was the prestigious 2017 Amateur Olympia in Spain. Mika again dominated the -80kg division. Mika was the man to beat and his fellow competitors could not match his balance of size and condition.
The next event in 2017 was the Arnold Classic Europe. again, Mika competed in the -80kg division with success, defeating the best amateur bodybuilders in the world.
Victories at the Amateur Olympia and Arnold Classic Europe labeled Mika as a favorite for every event he entered.
Returning home to compete at the 2017 Finnish Championships, a much improved Mika Sihvonen would win his division and the overall title. After this dominant victory, Mika had his eye on finishing at the top of the IFBB’s World Ranking standings.
Mika would go on to win the the overall title at the 2017 Ben Weider’s Cup and win the -80kg title at the 2017 Diamond Cup Rome.
At the end of the 2017 IFBB Amateur competition season, Mika achieved his goal and finished in first place on IFBB World Ranking standings. This automatically made Mika eligible to compete in the pro division.
It must be noted that in 2017, the sport of bodybuilding was at a crossroads. the NPC’s Jim Manion and IFBB’s Rafael Santonja went their separate ways. All amateur and pro bodybuilders had to decide in which organization or federation they wanted to continue their careers.
IFBB President Rafael Santonja continued to expand the IFBB Amateur Divisions and also created the IFBB Elite Pro league, to give a new platform for IFBB amateur athletes to compete as professionals. Meanwhile, in the USA, Jim Manion continued with the NPC and Pro League.
Mika decided to remain loyal to the IFBB and compete as an IFBB Elite Pro. A number of other bodybuilding stars decided to compete withing the IFBB Elite Pro, which in return already made this a very exciting league to compete in.
Road to dominating the IFBB Elite Pro
With no -80kg or -90kg division at the 2018 Arnold Classic Europe, Mika was not discouraged and registered for the Open Division. From a live-up of 14 athletes, Mika managed to finished in fifth place, defeating bodybuilders that were much bigger than him.
Mika was proof that perfect aesthetics, combining the right size with condition can defeat the bigger, bulkier bodybuilder.
In the off-season, Mika made great improvements and moved up to the -90kg Division withing the IFBB Elite Pro league.
Mika would then go on to win the -90kg division and the overall title at the 2018 Nordic Pro.
These great results would pave the way for Mika to have great success at the 2018 IFBB Elite Pro world Championships.
At the 2018 IFBB Elite Pro World Championships, Mika would win and become IFBB Elite Pro’s first World Champion in the -90kg division.
The overall title would end up going to bodybuilding star, Michal Krizo.
A great rivalry would be created at the 2018 IFBB Elite Pro World Championships between Michal Krizo and Mika Sihvonen. These two bodybuilding stars would battle against each other for the top prizes in the years to come.
Mika would be very active again in the 2019 competition season. The first pro event would be the 2019 Arnold Classic Europe.
Mika would again compete in the Open Division, against athletes that were much bigger than him.
It was evident from the start of the event, Mika was dominating the show, and even edging past bodybuilding star Michal Krizo.
At the end, it would be Mika standing next to Michal, waiting for the result of who wins the event. It would be Michal Krizo who wins the event after a controversial decision.
The media and fans believed it would be the much more conditioned and balanced Mika Sihvonen, who should have been declared 2019 Arnold Classic Europe champion.
Mika would continue to push forward and win the 2019 Nordic Pro, competing in the Open Division. This again, gave Mika great confidence for the IFBB Elite Pro world Championships, that were next on his schedule.
In 2019, Mika had the opportunity to compete in the -90kg Division and the Open Division at two different venues.
The -90kg IFBB Elite Pro World Championships took place in Cancun, Mexico, while the Open Division IFBB Elite Pro World Championships were organized in Tarragona, Spain.
The first event would be the Open Division IFBB Elite Pro World Championships in Spain. there was a shock result at this event with defending champion Michal Krizo, failing to defend his title.
Michal was not at his best and only managed to finish in fourth place. Poland’s Szymon Lada, was declared the 2019 IFBB Elite Pro World Champion in the Open Division, while Ukraine’s Volodymyr Byruk placed second and Mika Sihvonen finishing in third.
This was another great result for Mika on the world stage.
Just a few weeks later, Mika would travel to Mexico to defend his -90kg World Championship title. Mika would leave his competition behind and cement his status as the best -90kg bodybuilders in the world.
In 2020, Mika decided to focus on the Arnold Classic Europe and the IFBB Elite Pro World Championships. Due to the pandemic that caused problems all over the world, the IFBB decided to organize the 2020 IFBB Elite Pro World Championships at the 2020 Arnold Classic Europe.
Mika would compete in the Open Division and again finish second to Michal Krizo. Mika would literally be the only bodybuilder that could push Michal to the edge. The title could have easily been awarded to Mika, but the judges preferred the much bigger Michal Krizo.
In 2021, Mika would only compete at the 2021 IFBB Elite Pro World Championships. This event again was included at the 2021 Arnold Classic Europe.
Mika appeared to again add more size to his physique, but he kept a close eye on his aesthetics and fine detail that made his one of the best bodybuilders in the world.
Mika unfortunately was again awarded second to his main rival Michal Krizo. It was another hard decision for the judges that favored size before aesthetics.
Unfortunately, Mika would suffer a serious leg injury while doing a set of squats. He immediately took care of his injury, thanks to his medical staff and started the long road to recovery.
After months of hard work and very strict training sessions, Mika is at 100% and is ready to win the titles that many believed he should have won.
Mike is preparing for the 2022 Arnold Classic Europe/2022 IFBB Elite Pro World Championships, that is taking place in Seville, Spain, between 15-19 September, 2022.
Unfortunately, Mika’s main rival, Michal Krizo will not be participating since he switched over to the NPC. With Michal not defending his title, IFBB elite Pro’s best bodybuilders in the world are all hungry to win the vacated title.
Going into the show, Mika is one of the favorite’s to win the title. This does not mean he will not have to fight for it as he is expected to have a tough battle.
After overcoming his injury, Mika is now focused to continue where he left off and continue winning all of IFBB elite Pro’s prestigious titles.
Mika Sihvonen brings size, balance and condition back to bodybuilding
Since 6X Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates started to dominate the sport in the 90’s, bodybuilding shifted from the beauty of aesthetics and balance to mass monsters.
Bodybuilders started to get bigger, with the goal of defeating the defending champion of a number of events.
This trend got to the point where bodybuilders lost the their way, and where stepping on stage with grotesque physiques.
In the last two to three years, bodybuilding fans wanted the classic look to return, the look that focuses on aesthetics, and the right combination of size, balance and condition.
Mika Sihvonen is one of those bodybuilders that has proven, the classic look is what should be awarded at bodybuilding contests. A freaky looking bodybuilder is great to see, but bodybuilding is not just about size.
Mika’s competition history is proof that the trend is changing and the look he presents is what the judges, media and fans want to see.
Evolutionofbodybuilding.net is looking forward to what Mika will bring to the stage at the 2022 Arnold Classic Europe and we are sure he will reach the goal he has been working hard for.
Competition History
—— IFBB AMATEUR ——
2017 Finnish Open 2nd
2017 Diamond Cup Portugal -80kg 1st
2017 Olympia Amateur -80kg 1st
2017 Arnold Classic Europe -80kg 1st
2017 Finnish Championships + Overall 1st
2017 Ben Weider Cup + Overall 1st
2017 Diamond Cup Rome -80kg 1st
2017 IFBB World Elite Ranking World Best Amateur Bodybuilder 1st
—— IFBB ELITE PRO ——
2018 Arnold Classic Europe Pro Open 5th
2018 Nordic Pro -90kg + Open Overall 1st
2018 IFBB Elite Pro World Champ -90kg 1st
2019 Arnold Classic Europe Pro Open 2nd
2019 Nordic Pro Open 1st
2019 IFBB Elite Pro World Champ Open 3rd
2019 IFBB Elite Pro World Champ -90kg 1st
2020 Arnold Classic Europe Pro Open 2nd
2020 IFBB Elite Pro World Champ Open 2nd
2021 Arnold Classic Europe Pro Open 2nd
2021 IFBB Elite Pro World Champ Open 2nd
