Bodybuilding veteran Akim Williams has become a mainstay of the Men’s Open division over the last decade. In a recent post made on Instagram, Williams revealed he entered the 2022 Mr. Olympia and 2023 Arnold Classic injured after getting into a car accident and shared positive updates after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Akim Williams first gained attention for his crazy muscle mass, size, and overall proportions under the IFBB Pro League in 2014. He turned in a series of strong performances, including third-place finishes at the 2015 Wings of Strength Chicago Pro and 2015 Europa Dallas. He scored his first victory with a dominant showing at the 2016 Tampa Pro. The win earned him an invite to the Mr. Olympia contest where he placed in the top 15 in his debut.
Williams continued to work hard in the off-season and kept a packed schedule with numerous contest participations. He turned heads with his insane package at the 2018 Toronto Po Supershow and 2018 Muscle Mayhem. He took silver at both shows, falling short of Juan Morel and Charles Griffen respectively.
The 38-year-old capitalized on the momentum the following year in 2019 as he competed in six shows. Williams placed runner-up thrice and managed to crack the top ten at the 2019 Mr. Olympia. Then, he battled it out with fellow standouts Justin Rodriguez, Maxx Charles, and Nick Walker to win the top prize at the 2020 Chicago Pro. It proved to be his best year as he improved his standing to sixth place at the 2020 Mr. Olympia.
Akim Williams kicked off last year by handily dispatching the competition at the 2022 Tampa Pro. He defeated former 212 Olympia king Kamal Elgargni and popular Men’s Open contender Joe Mackey to earn his place in the lineup for the Olympia event. However, he got into a car accident that nearly forced him to the sidelines. He withdrew from the 2022 Arnold Classic days before the show.
Bodybuilding Hall of Famer Chris Cormier heaped praises on Williams’ stellar package in the build-up to the Olympia. Cormier backed Williams as a threat to the other contenders based on his blend of freakish size and aesthetics.
In the end, ‘The Beast’ made it work and placed 16th at the Olympia last December. Williams made his way to Ohio for the 2023 Arnold Classic next. He opened up on his intense preparations for the Arnold Classic two months ago. He recognized an error in his prep for the Olympia, which resulted in him looking flat on the stage and hinted at his plans to take some time off following the show. Eventually, he finished sixth.
Akim Williams reveals competing injured & shares shoulder surgery update
In a recent Instagram post, Akim Williams revealed he competed at the 2022 Mr. Olympia and the 2023 Arnold Classic injured after getting into a car accident. He underwent shoulder surgery last Thursday and shared positive updates on the operation.
“Just got out of my shoulder surgery,” said Williams. “My hand is still in the sling, just did it on Thursday. In case you guys didn’t know, I got into a big car accident last year so I had some injuries from that, back and shoulder injuries. I still trained and did the Olympia and Arnold injured.
“I feel like it was time to take care of that problem. Last Thursday, I got shoulder surgery and it went really well, successful, and I’m happy with it.”
Akim Williams seems to be in high spirits after the successful surgery. He mentioned picking up a back injury in the latest update as well and it remains to be seen whether it healed fully. The team at FitnessVolt wishes Williams a speedy recovery.
Published: 9 April, 2023 | 10:10 AM EDT
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