COLUMBUS, Ohio – Branch Warren will return to the competitive stage for the first time in nearly a year when he defends his title at the 24^th Annual Arnold Classic at the 2012 Arnold Sports Festival.

Warren, who won the Arnold Classic and the British Grand Prix in March 2011, did not compete in the 2011 Olympia due to an injury. He will face three-time Arnold Classic champ and 2011 Arnold Classic Europe runner-up Dexter Jackson, 2011 Arnold Classic runner-up Dennis Wolf and 2011 fourth-place finisher Evan Centopani in an international field of 14 competitors.

In the Ms. International contest, six-time champion Iris Kyle will gun for her third straight victory in Columbus. She will be challenged by four-time Ms. I winner Yaxeni Oriquen and 2011 third-place finisher Alina Popa in a field of 15.

Four-time champ Adela Garcia will defend her Fitness International title against a field of 17 that includes 2011 runner-up and 2011 Arnold Fitness Europe winner Tanji Johnson and Camala Rodriguez, who finished fourth in Columbus last year.

Two-time defending champ Nicole Wilkins and 2011 runner-up Erin Stern will resume their rivalry at the 2012 Figure International. Ava Cowan, who finished third in 2011, Cheryl Brown (5^th in 2011) and Teresa Anthony (6^th in 2011) also highlight the field of 16.

Nicole Nagrani, winner of the inaugural Bikini International in 2011, is back to defend and will face a field of 18 that includes Sonia Gonzales and Nathalia Melo, who finish second and third, respectively, in 2011.

Matthias Botthof (Arnold Classic), Alevtina Goroshinkaya (Ms. International), Diana Monteiro (Fitness International), and Raquel Hernandez (Figure) earn automatic invites based on overall victories in their respective classes at the 2011 Arnold Amateur IFBB Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships. Gloria Keplinger Tarpley earned an invite into the Figure International based on her overall win at the 2010 Arnold Amateur.

The 24^th Annual Arnold Classic, Ms. International, Fitness International, Figure International and Bikini International contests will be held March 2-3 at Veteran Memorial and the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio during the Arnold Sports Festival. Visit www.arnoldsportsfestival.com for more information and www.ticketmaster.com/arnold for ticket information.

2012 Arnold Classic, Ms. International, Fitness International, Figure International and Bikini International Invite Lists:

2012 Arnold Classic (14)
Fouad Abiad
Gustavo Badell
Lionel Beyeke
Matthias Botthof
Evan Centopani
Eduardo Correa
Brandon Curry
Dexter Jackson
Michael Kefalianos
Ben Pakulski
Shawn Rhoden
Branch Warren
Ben White
Dennis Wolf

2012 Ms. International (15)
Maria Rita Bello
Brigita Brezovac
Kim Buck
Tina Chandler
Alevtina Goroshinskaya
Monique Jones
Iris Kyle
Debi Laszewski
Cathy LeFrancois
Zoa Lindsey
Geraldine Morgan
Yaxeni Oriquen
Kim Perez
Alina Popa
Maria Segura

2012 Fitness International (17)
Michelle Blank
Jodi Boam
Myriam Capes
Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Allison Ethier
Adela Garcia
Oksana Grishina
Tanji Johnson
Diana Monteiro
Julie Palmer
Kayde Puckett
Camala Rodriguez
Daniella Ruban
Kizzy Vaines
Sheri Vucick
Bethany Wagner

2012 Figure International (16)
Jelena Abbou
Teresa Anthony
Cheryl Brown
Krissy Chin
Ava Cowan
Heather Dees
Alicia Harris
Raquel Hernandez
Candice Keene
Gloria Keplinger Tarpley
Sue Knott
Larissa Reis
Erin Stern
Gennifer Strobo
Latisha Wilder
Nicole Wilkins

2012 Bikini International (18)
Jennifer Andrews
Jaime Baird
Abbie Burrows
Juliana Daniell
Sonia Gonzales
Candyce Graham
Diana Graham
Jessica Jessie
Lexi Kaufman
Nathalia Melo
Justine Munro
Nicole Nagrani
India Paulino
Jessica Paxson
Natalie Pennington
Monique Ricardo
Tianna Ta
Christine Vargas

Stay tuned to Bodybuilders.gr for more news about the 2012 Arnold Sports Festival.

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