“The Mutant” is hungry for one more Arnold Classic title.
Nick “The Mutant” Walker wasn’t all the time a hulking phenom — one in every of modern bodybuilding’s top competitors. Then he won the 2021 Arnold Classic (AC) during his International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League rookie 12 months, and he’s seemingly only grow to be more high profile by the day ever since. A fifth-place result on the 2021 Mr. Olympia was a fitting cherry on top for an athlete who gave the impression of the following big thing in the game. Now, after a podium performance on the 2022 Mr. Olympia, Walker might be wasting no time getting back on the mass warpath. He’ll return to a few of his roots to do it.
On Jan. 12, 2023, the Arnold Sports Festival revealed that Walker would compete on the 2023 edition of the Arnold Classic. The competition is currently scheduled for Mar. 2-5, 2023, in Columbus, OH, where, unsurprisingly, several other established superstars already plan to assemble. A stacked field likely won’t intimidate Walker, who appears to be on a determined mission to make it two vaunted AC titles in three years.
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Walker’s AC return announcement got here shortly after the Arnold Sports Festival announced that this 12 months’s first-place prize money can be upped to $300,000 for the Men’s Open winner. That compensation is sort of 3 times Walker’s victory winnings of $130,000 in 2021, partly signifying the tremendous rapid growth of the competition and its significance.
In a fast post on his Instagram, Walker tersely but efficiently elaborated on the news of his return to the AC. He shared an image from his winning performance on the 2021 iteration with a caption of “run it back,” with obvious intentions of overcoming his elite peers on the Columbus, OH, stage again.
Walker will face no shortage of worthy challengers to etch his name because the Arnold Classic winner for the second time in three years.
For instance, two-time winner William Bonac will seek his third profession AC crown (2018, 2022), a feat only 4 other bodybuilders have completed in the competition’s 33-year history. At the identical time, a more recent ascending star like Samson Dauda may also be vying for the momentous championship. Other notable confirmed names up to now include Kamal Elgargni and Akim Williams.
Notably, a gaggle of relative newcomers in Derek Lunsford, Blessing Awodibu, and Michal “Križo” Križánek announced plans to skip the tentpole contest. Each of the three athletes made a distinction that they’d prefer to get some rest before focusing most of their efforts on an improved performance on the 2023 Olympia in November. Lunsford, specifically, because the 2022 runner-up in his Men’s Open debut, may need probably the most realistic likelihood of reaching those lofty goals.
On the time of this text’s publication, it’s unclear if one other two-time AC victor (2019, 2022) and the reigning champion, Brandon Curry, will come back to defend his title.
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The 2023 Arnold Classic is already shaping as much as be a battlefield if announcements like Walker’s expected appearance mean anything. With the brand new 12 months up and rolling, March’s competition will likely be a memorable addition to bodybuilding lore.
Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram