Awodibu desires to take a step back before he embarks on his next Olympia journey.
Blessing Awodibu entered the 2022 Mr. Olympia with high hopes. A certifiable dark horse contender, some believed Awodibu would enjoy one in every of the higher performances of his profession on the Las Vegas, NV, stage. As a substitute, Awodibu finished outside the highest 15 while watching Hadi Choopan get his long-awaited moment of glory because the champion who successfully beat Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay. Within the wake of such a humbling performance, it seems Awodibu would favor to recalibrate first.
On Jan. 10, 2023, Awodibu used his Instagram to announce that he could be declining a proper invitation to the 2023 Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH.
Huge due to the [Arnold Sports Festival] for the invite, one in every of my all-time favourite shows, but, unfortunately, I won’t be doing the Arnold [Classic] this 12 months.
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Awodibu’s fundamental rationale for stepping down from the 2023 Arnold Classic is specializing in self-care before he can really try to attain any ambitious goals in the approaching months. In discussing why he’ll forgo one in every of bodybuilding’s top competitions, Awodibu didn’t overlook a detail. The winner of the 2022 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Indy and Latest York Pro contests, Awodibu noted that he felt his schedule last 12 months was too jam-packed.
Ultimately, it appeared to have a negative effect on his eventual performance and presented physique on the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
“Going off completely for nearly three months after the Indy and Latest York [Pro] shows and traveling really affected my Olympia prep negatively,” Awodibu wrote. “I definitely lost some muscle mass, and I didn’t have enough time to fill out my physique before the Olympia. So, right away, I’m just giving my body the much-needed time to bring my shape back before any prep. Expect a crazy comeback later this 12 months.”
Awodibu is just not the primary notable name to disclose he wouldn’t be competing within the 2023 Arnold Classic. Moderately than divert his energy on preparation for one more contest, Derek Lunsford, the 2022 Mr. Olympia second-place finisher, revealed he would also skip the Arnold Classic. As a substitute, he’ll be spending his 2023 entirely on attempting to finish the Olympia job initially of this recent 12 months. That contest will happen sometime in November 2023 in Orlando, FL.
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As an elite athlete, it might probably understandably be loads to confess one needs time to recuperate quite than keeping the foot on the gas 99 percent of the time. Such a patient approach for Awodibu is theoretically unconventional, however it might repay for him in spades in 2023.
Featured image: @blessing_awodibu on Instagram