Bodybuilder Nick Walker turned heads with his monstrous package at the 2023 Arnold Classic this past weekend in Columbus, Ohio. In a recent story posted on Instagram, Walker urged his fans to keep things respectful and refrain from sharing hateful messages against the judges of the show and other competitors.
Nick Walker is one of the fastest-rising stars of the IFBB Pro League Men’s Open division. He made a name for himself with his crazy muscle mass and size, which earned him the nickname ‘The Mutant.’ In 2021, Walker kicked the year off with a dominant win at the New York Pro. A few months later, he scored gold at the Arnold Sports Festival before concluding the season with a fifth-place finish in his Olympia debut.
Walker focused on making improvements in the off-season last year. He worked hard in the gym and appeared to make great progress. The 28-year-old delivered an insane performance at the 2022 Mr. Olympia three months ago. He returned with a significantly improved package and placed third. He also won the Olympia People’s Champ award.
Following the biggest show in bodybuilding, Walker was unsure about the 2023 Arnold Classic. The organizers persuaded him to join the roster by bumping the prize money to a historic $300,000. His entry to the lineup added excitement going into the show.
During Arnold prejudging, Nick Walker found himself in a three-way battle with rising sensation Andrew Jacked and fellow standout Samson Dauda for the title. Eventually, Dauda managed to edge out Walker for first place. Walker finished second and won the Franco Columbu Most Muscular award.
Others did not take too kindly to the judges’ decision and gave their opinions on social media. Dauda’s coach Milos Sarcev reasoned a loss of size in the legs cost Walker the title as it disrupted his overall symmetry. Bodybuilding veteran Zack Khan expressed a similar sentiment in suggesting Walker should have got the third spot behind Jacked.
Nick Walker urges fans to stop the hate against 2023 Arnold Classic judges & athletes
In a recent Instagram story, Nick Walker called on his fans to refrain from writing hateful messages as some targeted the judges and competitors of the 2023 Arnold Classic.
“I just want to give huge thank you to all my supporters!!!” he wrote. “You guys are seriously the best!!!!! But let’s keep it more respectful. We do not disrespect judges or other competitors. @samson_dauda brought the noise! But again thank you guys for defending me!! We will be back better than ever I promise that!!!!!”
Former Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout believed Nick Walker would’ve handily won the show if the judging criteria was solely based on muscle quality. He gave Dauda credit for his overall physique but didn’t see him matching Walker’s conditioning.
Despite the second-place result, Walker seems content with the improvements he made since the Olympia and will likely continue with the same momentum when he gets back in action.
Catch full coverage of the 2023 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final and full results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic
Published: 9 March, 2023 | 4:09 PM EDT
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