Riccardo Croci is an Italian IFBB Pro in the Men’s Physique division — and one of the most durable competitors Europe has produced. 🇮🇹
He turned pro at 35, an age when many athletes are winding down. Then he qualified for the Mr. Olympia six years in a row (2020–2025) and was still entering pro shows at 42 in 2026.
This is his updated 2026 biography: age, height, weight, his full contest record, and where his career stands today.
📋 Riccardo Croci Quick Facts
| Full Name | Riccardo Croci |
| Born | 5 December 1983 (age 42 in 2026) |
| From | Cupra Marittima, Marche, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Division | Men’s Physique |
| Height | 174 cm / 5’8½” (per his Yamamoto Nutrition athlete profile) |
| Weight | ~105 kg (sponsor-profile figure; his exact stage weight is not officially published) |
| Pro Card | 2019 — Yamamoto Cup pro qualifier, Italy |
| Mr. Olympia | 6 consecutive appearances (2020–2025); best placing 14th in 2021 |
| Pro Wins | 6 |
| @riccardo_croci_ifbbpro | |
| Status in 2026 | Active — five pro shows contested in 2026 |
🌱 Early Life and a Very Late Start
Riccardo Croci comes from Cupra Marittima, a small town on Italy’s Adriatic coast in the Marche region.
He started lifting at around 18 years old — but for roughly two decades, training was a passion, not a career. He did not step on a federal competition stage until 2016, at the age of 32.
The late start did not slow him down. He placed second in his very first show in 2016, won his class at the Oneway Fitness event and finished second at the Italian Championships in 2017.
In 2018 he went one better and became Italian IFBB Champion in his category — the result that told him a pro card was realistic.
🏆 The Pro Card and the Breakthrough (2019–2020)
In 2019, Croci won his class at the NPC Worldwide Yamamoto Cup pro qualifier in Italy and earned his IFBB Pro card — at 35 years old.
His pro debut came at that same season’s Yamamoto Cup Pro, where he placed third. A fifth place at the Japan Pro followed, and his pro career was officially underway.
The real breakthrough arrived in 2020. Croci placed second at the Europa Pro in Alicante, then won the San Marino Pro in November 2020 — his first pro title. 🏆
Those results carried him to his first Mr. Olympia in December 2020, where he placed tied-16th in one of the deepest Men’s Physique lineups ever assembled.
🎯 The Olympia Years (2021–2025)
In 2021, Croci produced his best Olympia result. After a win at the Champions Classic Pro in Poland and a second place at the Yamamoto Cup Pro, he finished 14th at the 2021 Mr. Olympia — still his career-best Olympia placing.
Sharing that Olympia stage year after year put him alongside the division’s elite, including three-time Arnold Classic champion Ali Bilal, whose own road to the top ran through the same international circuit.
2022 brought a serious American campaign: seventh at the Arnold Classic in Ohio, sixth at the Boston Pro and 12th at the New York Pro, before another Olympia appearance in Las Vegas.
His biggest season was 2023. Croci won three pro shows — the Tropicarium Budapest Pro, the Mile High Pro in Denver, and the British Championships Pro — and took second at the Sheru Classic Italy in front of his home crowd. 🥇
In October 2024 he won the Turkey Pro in Izmir, which qualified him for his sixth straight Olympia in 2025.
The 2025 season was a grind: eight pro shows in a single year, including fourth-place finishes at the Miami Pro and the Koloseum Italy Pro, his sixth Olympia, and late-season stops in Prague, Romania and Marrakech.
📅 Riccardo Croci Contest Record (Pro)
| Year | Contest | Placing |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Yamamoto Cup Pro | 3rd |
| 2019 | Japan Pro | 5th |
| 2019 | San Marino Pro | 10th |
| 2020 | Europa Pro (Alicante) | 2nd |
| 2020 | San Marino Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2020 | Mr. Olympia | 16th (tied) |
| 2021 | San Antonio Pro | 5th |
| 2021 | Yamamoto Cup Pro | 2nd |
| 2021 | Champions Classic Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2021 | Mr. Olympia | 14th |
| 2022 | Arnold Classic (Ohio) | 7th |
| 2022 | Boston Pro | 6th |
| 2022 | New York Pro | 12th |
| 2022 | Mr. Olympia | 16th (tied) |
| 2023 | Tropicarium Budapest Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2023 | Mile High Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2023 | Sheru Classic Italy Pro | 2nd |
| 2023 | British Championships Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2023 | Mr. Olympia | 16th (tied) |
| 2024 | Turkey Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2024 | Mr. Olympia | 16th (tied) |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh Pro | 15th |
| 2025 | New York Pro | 9th |
| 2025 | Miami Pro | 4th |
| 2025 | Koloseum Italy Pro | 4th |
| 2025 | Mr. Olympia | 16th (tied) |
| 2025 | EVLS Prague Pro | 6th |
| 2025 | Romania Muscle Fest Pro | 8th |
| 2025 | Marrakech Pro | 6th |
| 2026 | Arnold Classic UK | 7th |
| 2026 | Los Angeles Grand Prix Pro | 10th |
| 2026 | Memphis Pro | 13th |
| 2026 | Empro Classic Pro (Spain) | 6th |
| 2026 | Mr Big Evolution Portugal Pro | 11th |
Amateur highlights: first contest 2016 (2nd), Italian Championships 2017 (2nd), Italian IFBB Champion 2018, IFBB Pro card 2019.
🏋️ Training and Diet
Croci is a Yamamoto Nutrition athlete, and his sponsor profile describes an intensity-driven approach: heavy basic work finished with techniques such as drop sets and back-off sets, always chasing progression.
His diet follows the same no-nonsense pattern — simple protein sources such as chicken, fish, cod and lean meats, with quantities adjusted between the off-season and contest prep.
We have not published a gram-by-gram meal plan here, because Croci has never released one publicly. What you see on other sites presented as his “exact diet” is guesswork, and it would be unfair to present it as fact.
🔒 Personal Life
Croci keeps his private life away from social media. In interviews he has made clear that family matters stay off his public profiles, and he rarely shares anything beyond training, contests and sponsor work.
That privacy is part of why reliable information about him was scarce for years — and why older biographies filled the gaps with invented numbers, which this refresh has removed.
📌 Riccardo Croci in 2026: Still Competing at 42
Croci has not retired. In 2026 he contested five pro shows across three continents, from the Arnold Classic UK in March to the Mr Big Evolution Portugal Pro in July. 💪
His placings have slipped from his 2023 peak, and he did not qualify for the 2026 Olympia — but a six-year Olympia streak built almost entirely on European soil is a record very few Men’s Physique athletes will ever match.
He campaigns on the same European circuit as veterans like Roman Fritz and Bruno Santos — proof that longevity, not hype, is what keeps a pro career alive into your forties.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What division does Riccardo Croci compete in?
Men’s Physique. He is often described simply as a “bodybuilder,” but he has never competed in the open bodybuilding class — his entire pro career, including all six Olympia appearances, is in Men’s Physique.
How many times has Riccardo Croci competed at Mr. Olympia?
Six times in a row, from 2020 to 2025. His best Olympia placing was 14th in 2021; in the other five appearances he finished tied-16th.
How old is Riccardo Croci?
He was born on 5 December 1983, so he is 42 years old in 2026 and turns 43 in December 2026. Remarkably, he did not turn pro until he was 35.
How tall is Riccardo Croci, and how much does he weigh?
His Yamamoto Nutrition athlete profile lists him at 174 cm (about 5’8½”) and 105 kg. That weight is a profile/off-season figure — his exact stage weight has not been officially published, so treat precise “contest weight” numbers on other sites with caution.
How many pro shows has Riccardo Croci won?
Six: the San Marino Pro (2020), Champions Classic Pro (2021), Tropicarium Budapest Pro (2023), Mile High Pro (2023), British Championships Pro (2023) and Turkey Pro (2024).
Is Riccardo Croci still competing in 2026?
Yes. He entered five pro shows in 2026 — the Arnold Classic UK, Los Angeles Grand Prix, Memphis Pro, Empro Classic in Spain and the Mr Big Evolution Portugal Pro — and has announced no retirement.