Jacked will take an analogous path to Olympia qualification this 12 months.
On Apr. 3, 2023, Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, aka “Andrew Jacked,” revealed in an Instagram post that he would compete at this summer’s 2023 Texas Pro. The bodybuilder is the competition’s defending champion within the Men’s Open division. The competition will feature eight separate competitive classes: the Open, 212, Women’s Physique, Figure, Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini, and Wellness. It is going to happen on Aug. 19, 2023, in Arlington, TX.
Jacked used his 2022 victory as a springboard to achieve qualification into the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest. That performance was partly why a bodybuilding legend like four-time Arnold Classic (AC) champion Ken “Flex” Wheeler asserted Jacked was the following big thing. It appears Jacked shall be using an analogous path to live as much as the hype in 2023.
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With recent shifts to the 2023 Olympia qualification system — including the nixing of overall points standings from IFBB Pro League contests — anything lower than a victory in Texas will force Jacked to seek out one other avenue to qualify for the Olympia, set to happen Nov. 3-5. Not that this was a particular issue for Jacked in 2022, who was also triumphant within the 2022 Arnold Classic UK (ACUK). On the time of this text’s writing, it’s unclear if Jacked will even feature within the 2023 edition of the ACUK.
As for Jacked’s recent exploits, he’s been keeping busy on stage.
After his Texas Pro and ACUK victories, Jacked would finish in eighth place on the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Such a result’s nothing to sneeze at for a competitor of their debut at bodybuilding’s biggest competition. Jacked would follow that performance with a third-place finish on the 2023 AC. Only champion Samson Dauda and 2022 Olympia third-place finisher Nick Walker (AC runner-up) fared higher.
Within the aftermath of his AC performance, Jacked maintained that he “deserved” his result. He appeared to ultimately channel it as motivation for improved results throughout in any contests he appears in throughout the 12 months 2023. Plus, while an ethical victory within the AC isn’t what Jacked was searching for, ending ahead of other more established Men’s Open stars like two-time Mr. Olympia (2020, 2021) Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay (fourth place) and two-time 212 Olympia champion (2020, 2022) Shaun Clarida (fifth place), and two-time AC winner (2018, 2020) William Bonac (seventh place) is something he can hang his hat on.
In a great world for Jacked, such a finish within the standings could be a teaser of the electricity he brings to competitive stages in the approaching months.
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There’s still plenty of work to do before Jacked establishes himself as a household name within the bodybuilding sphere. He’s assuredly already got the eye of his talented peers. Winning a serious contest just like the Olympia might be the following a part of his profession journey. Successfully defending his Texas Pro title could be step one.
Featured image: @andrewjacked on Instagram