Bouncing back from injuries, Nick Walker recently took to the stage. In a guest-posing appearance at the 2023 NPC High Roller Royale in Las Vegas, Nevada, Walker shined alongside reigning 212 Olympia Keone Pearson, Quinton Eriya, and Stanimal De Longeaux.
Having recalibrated his sights on the 2023 Mr. Olympia, Walker was almost ready for battle until hamstring and calf tears prevented him from performing. In Walker’s absence, Derek Lunsford made history as the sport’s first-ever two-division Mr. Olympia champion. One month after the big event, “The Mutant” showed off a glimpse of what he could have brought to the stage.
In addition to Nick Walker, the newly minted 212 Olympia Keone Pearson, Open star Quinton Eriya, and Stanimal De Longeaux gave fans a look into their respective progress before embarking on another bodybuilding season.
Nick Walker, Keone Pearson, Stanimal De Longeaux and Quinton Eriya Take Over Sin City With Guest Posing Appearances
Making a statement as a guest poser at the 2023 NPC High Roller Royale, Walker showed off his seemingly healed hamstring and calf while dominating the stage.
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Check out some highlights from the night below:
Just a month ago, Keone Pearson shocked the world, upsetting the reigning two-time 212 Olympia titleholder Shaun Clarida. Bringing aesthetics and shape to the table, Pearson’s and Clarida’s looks couldn’t be more different
Following the biggest win of his career, fans, and voices of the sport are curious if ‘The Prodigy’ has the tools necessary to become a long-standing champion like bodybuilding legend Flex Lewis.
Quinton Eriya has shown immense promise as an IFBB Open Pro. Boasting a tall structure and balanced proportions, Eriya’s ceiling in the sport is high as he has time and room to grow into his physique. Last year, Eriya took home third at the 2022 Tampa Pro and fifth at the Texas Pro, where he had the honor of battling Andrew Jacked.
Stanimal De Longeaux continues to improve from season to season with sharp conditioning and vascularity. A regular face of the Open class, Stanimal constantly pushes into title contention. In his last two affairs, he took third at the 2023 Orlando Pro and second at the Vancouver Pro.
Questions about Walker’s next contest have surfaced since his untimely set of injuries. After the setback, Walker told Ron Harris that he deserved a special invite to 2024 Mr. Olympia due to his recent injuries. While some found his opinion controversial, Walker shared that if he wasn’t offered a special invite, he would pick a show and win it for his Olympia qualification.
We will never know where Walker would have placed had he competed at the 2023 Mr. Olympia. However, the reigning champ Derek Lunsford recently did his best to answer that question. Looking at the lineup he faced, Lunsford argued Walker would have slipped into third place if he was able to participate.
All in all, the guest posing lineup in Las Vegas, Nevada delivered, prompting fans to discuss what could be next for each competitor. All roads lead to the 2024 Mr. Olympia show, which is set to celebrate its 60th anniversary from October 10-13.