Nick Walker is pivoting to the East Coast to qualify for this year’s Olympia contest. On May 12, he confirmed his entry for the New York Pro, scheduled for May 17, in a bid to secure his 2025 Olympia qualification.
Over the weekend, the first Men’s Open contest at the Pittsburgh Pro delivered. The lineup was stacked with threats, but it ended up becoming a two-man battle between Walker and Lunsford. Lunsford was the on-paper favorite thanks to his triumph over Samson Dauda at the 2025 Arnold Classic.
Looking at the final scorecards, they actually read a tie between Walker and Lunsford. However, the former 212 Olympia champ narrowly defeated Walker in the finals during a sudden-death tiebreaker comparison. Walker, undeterred by the result, has already pushed his chips into the New York Pro set for this weekend, where he’ll aim once again to cement his passage to the sport’s biggest event of the year.
Nick Walker Confirms Entry for the 2025 New York Pro in Bid for Mr. Olympia Qualification
In the recent Instagram post, Walker reflected on taking silver in Pittsburgh, congratulating Lunsford. He’s holding his head up high, emphasizing that he brought possibly the best physique of his bodybuilding career.
“Just got done doing some cardio. First things first, I just want to congratulate Derek on winning the first Pittsburgh Pro, awesome show, awesome battle between me and him.
We definitely put on a great show for everyone and honestly, it couldn’t have gone better. Obviously, it’s not the outcome we wanted but I presented probably my best package to date.”
He was grateful for the Pittsburgh Pro production team, revealing that the show ran smoothly.
“I’m extremely, extremely happy and grateful for that. Me and Kyle came in there, and we just did the job. Our job was to bring our best and that’s what we did. Also, congratulations to the Manions for putting on a fantastic show. A fantastic expo, it was ran to perfection.”
As for his thoughts on the loss, Walker said he’ll discuss that at a future date. For the time being, he’s redirecting his focus to prep for the 2025 New York Pro, where he’ll aim to become the first bodybuilder to win the event three times.
“As far as emotions, I think that’s something I’ll talk about in a later video. The big question is what’s next, what’s Nick going to do, how’s he going to handle this?
It’s Monday, we got the New York Pro, and I’m coming to the New York Pro. I’m coming to get my Olympia qualification, and I’m coming to be the first person to win three New York Pros and have three rings.”
“The Mutant is now in it and it’s going to be another epic battle.”
“NEW YORK PRO!!!!!!!” shares Walker.
Find his post below:
As of this writing, the IFBB Pro League official website has not listed a lineup for the New York Pro in just a few days. However, Regan Grimes, the 2023 Europa Championships winner, has confirmed he’ll be in attendance, aiming to earn his right to stand on the Olympia stage. Many fans are also wondering if Lunsford might surprise the community and jump in as well.
After missing out on the last two Mr. Olympias, there were tons of questions surrounding Walker’s future in the sport. Based on his latest outing against Lunsford, he appears to be at his best ever, with many eager to see him perform at the New York Pro, a contest he’s won twice (2021, 2024)
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