Bodybuilding veteran Shawn Ray didn’t mince words when discussing contenders for the upcoming 2024 Mr. Olympia. In a recent YouTube video, Shawn Ray casts doubt on Nick Walker making it to the Mr. Olympia contest scheduled for October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It hasn’t taken long for Nick Walker to assert himself as an absolute menace of the Men’s Open class. In 2021, he won the New York Pro and Arnold Classic consecutively. He carried this momentum into his first Mr. Olympia, where he took fifth in a mind-boggling debut.
From there, Walker used the 2022 season to perfect his V-taper and conditioning. His off-season efforts would pay off as he turned in a third-place finish, once again improving on the sport’s greatest stage. Walker then attempted the 2023 Arnold Classic but fell at the hands of Samson Dauda.
All signs pointed to Nick Walker blowing the roof off the 2023 Mr. Olympia until he suffered a game-changing hamstring tear and calf tear. While healing on the sidelines, Walker showed his support to his fellow competitors as he watched Derek Lunsford earn the title and become the first-ever two-division champion.
Shawn Ray Unsure Of Nick Walker’s Future After Injury, Says He Might Not Make It to 2024 Olympia
Nick Walker has expressed his determination to take the stage this year and finally earn the Sandow trophy, though bodybuilding veteran Shawn Ray gave his take on the future of ‘The Mutant’ in a recent YouTube video.
“What do you say about being second 22 times in your bodybuilding career? How many times do you think you should have won? This is what it is. It is all hypothetical. Everybody wants to say what about? I hate what about-isms. Nick wasn’t there.”
When Nick Walker’s return was brought up for this year, Shawn Ray didn’t hesitate to remind everyone that there is no guarantee, acknowledging that Walker could very easily find himself in the same position as last year.
“So he says, there is no guarantee right? There is no guarantee that Nick Walker makes it back to that Mr. Olympia stage. Would we like to see that happen?
Yes. Will he be as good as he was? We don’t know. We don’t know cause if he does the same thing the same result can happen” Shawn Ray said.
Voicing that he doesn’t like ‘what about-isms,’ Ray says there’s no point in discussing hypotheticals in bodybuilding.
“So, I don’t like what about-isms. This hypothetical stuff about if this guy was there, if that guy was there, when you’re there that’s when the rubber hits the road. I want to do this again in Las Vegas with you guys 24 hours before showtime because then we are going to know what happens in Ohio.
We are going to know what happens in the UK. We’re gonna know what happens with Hadi Choopan. Hadi might not even make it into the country for all we know. So there are too many variables going on, but this is one Olympia you don’t want to miss that’s for sure.”
Nick Walker has expressed that due to the circumstances he feels that he deserves a special invitation to the 2024 Olympia. Even if the offer isn’t extended, Walker is confident that he can ‘win something’ to ensure he makes it to the event this October.
In the meantime, Nick Walker focused on his recovery by resting and attending physical therapy. ‘The Mutant’ just recently shared one of his first leg day workouts since his injury and revealed he was ‘feeling pretty good’ though held back for the sake of his health.
RELATED: Shawn Ray Talks 2024 Arnold Classic and Samson Dauda: “He’s Our Next Mr. Olympia”
To hear Shawn Ray’s full opinion, click the link below:
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