Joseph Baena, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, has won his first bodybuilding competition, marking a major milestone in his fitness career.
Baena took home three gold medals at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships in Denver over the weekend. The competition marked his bodybuilding debut, decades after his father rose to fame in the same sport before becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars in the 1980s.
He placed first in the Men’s Open Bodybuilding Heavyweight class, as well as the Classic Physique True Novice and Classic Physique Novice categories. Baena also won a silver medal in the Classic Physique Open Class C competition.
“Mission Accomplished!” Baena wrote on Instagram after the event, sharing photos of himself posing on stage with his medals. A day earlier, he had posted that he was “tanned up and checked in” and ready for the competition.
The official Arnold Sports Festival account also shared a supportive message ahead of the competition, wishing him luck. Baena had recently been training at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California, alongside his father, who was seen encouraging him during workouts.
The 28-year-old is Schwarzenegger’s son with Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena, a former domestic employee of the actor and his ex-wife, Maria Shriver. He was born just days after Schwarzenegger’s youngest child with Shriver, Christopher Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger has previously spoken about the circumstances surrounding Baena’s birth, calling it a major mistake but describing his son as a “fantastic man” who makes him proud. The two have since built a close relationship, often training together and supporting each other publicly.
