Walker doesn’t think highly of defending champion Hadi Choopan’s possibilities for a repeat.
There are still months to go before the 2023 Mr. Olympia in Orlando, FL, but a number of the top contenders for the Sandow Trophy are already posturing for his or her title possibilities. The 2022 Mr. Olympia third-place finisher Nick Walker recently shared an interesting outlook on the subsequent edition of bodybuilding’s headline contest.
In the course of the Apr. 17, 2023, YouTube episode of The Mutant And The Mouth, Walker discussed the 2023 Mr. Olympia outlook together with his co-host Guy Cisternino. Not only did the superstar Walker express doubt in defending champion Hadi Choopan’s possibilities at a repeat, he painted Derek Lunsford because the athlete to beat within the Men’s Open division.
More from Breaking Muscle:
To elucidate his rationale and confidence in his possibilities for the 2023 Olympia, Walker broke down a part of the aftermath of the 2022 iteration. Although he had shortcomings, Walker expressed he believes that Choopan and Lunsford finished at the highest because they were ultimately comparable of their respective body compositions.
“I feel I even have a shot of winning any show that I do,” Walker said. “For the [2022] Olympia, I mean, the 2 folks that were in front of me were Hadi [Choopan] and Derek [Lunsford], and I feel they’re very comparable. I feel that’s why they were one and two.”
For Choopan, no less than, this was where the endorsements from Walker ended.
While he respects his peer’s accomplishments, experience, and pedigree, Walker shared a quite frank assessment of Choopan adding one other Olympia trophy to his mantel. Although Choopan finished ahead of Walker and the whole field of competitors on the 2022 Olympia, he doesn’t imagine he’ll be a repeat consider November. That’s because Walker noted that he and Lunsford may very well be headed for an important battle.
It may very well be the beginning of a competitive, back-and-forth rivalry in the fashionable Men’s Open division.
“Listen, I really like Hadi [Choopan] but I don’t see him repeating for my part,” Walker said. “And Derek … he could proceed to beat me now that he has a full off-season actually to place the work in and put size on now, so we’ll see … People don’t understand, Derek [Lunsford] shouldn’t be small by any means. Like, he’s a giant guy and he’s got great shape.”
More from Breaking Muscle:
Walker might profess that the 2023 Olympia will come all the way down to him and Lunsford, an opinion seven-time Mr. Olympia champion (2011-2017) Phil Heath mostly shares. Nevertheless, other bodybuilding icons like Jay Cutler and Miloš Šarčev disagree. While they don’t doubt Walker or Lunsford’s individual merits, the pair have talked up Samson Dauda — the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC) winner — and his shot at a primary Mr. Olympia victory. Dauda himself has similarly bought into his rising hype.
At this point within the competitive calendar, the one assertion that seems clear is that the 2023 Mr. Olympia could shape as much as be an all-out battle royale on stage.
Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram