As Harold Kelley has every year, he went into the 2023 Wheelchair Olympia in Orlando, FL, as the favorite to win the title. Still, nothing is guaranteed in bodybuilding, and he has been defeated before, just not on the Olympia stage.
The competition was held in Orlando, FL, during their expo on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Division chairman Nick Scott introduced each athlete by explaining the incidents that caused each athlete’s need for a wheelchair. From there, the judges began the work of determining the world champion. Ultimately, Karol Milewski emerged victorious on the scorecards. The results are below:
[Tune In: 2023 Mr. Olympia Results — Live Updates & Coverage]
[Related: 2023 Amateur Olympia Results]
Callout One
- Harold Kelley
- Mohammadreza Tabrizi Nouri
- Josue Fabiano Barreto Monteiro
- Karol Mielwski
- Jason Metcalf
- Antoni Khadraoui
Callout Two
- Josue Fabiano Barreto Monteiro
- Tyler Brey
- Gabriele Andriulli
- Karol Milewski
- Mohammadreza Tabrizi Nouri
- Harold Kelley
Callout Three
- Woody Belfort
- Bradley Betts
- Tim Caldwell
- Tory Jones
- Antoni Khadraoui
- Jason Metcalf
Callout Four
- Harold Kelley
- Karol Milewski
The judges appeared to favor Kelley and Milewski as the top two, given those athletes squared off in the final callout. Thoughts swirled through the crowd if Milewski would become the first athlete to dethrone Kelley in the division that has never known another champion. Following a posedown, Milewski’s Cinderella story came to fruition as he was crowned the 2023 Wheelchair Olympia champion.
2023 Wheelchair Olympia Results
- Karol Milewski — $50,000
- Harold Kelley — $20,000
- Josue Fabiano Barreto Monteiro — $12,000
- Mohammadreza Tabrizi Nouri — $7,000
- Gabriele Andriulli — $6,000
[Related: 8-Time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney to Hadi Choopan: To Repeat, Play Your Own Game]
Karol Milewski’s Bodybuilding Career
While the Polish bodybuilder certainly pulled off an almighty upset, it wasn’t completely out of the blue. His out-of-this-world V-taper helped catapult him to the top of this contest, riding off of a short but storied history of other successes. Per NPC News Online, here is Milewski’s contest record.
2023 IFBB Mr. Olympia
- 1st place
2023 IFBB Sheru Classic UK Pro
- 1st place
2022 IFBB Arnold Classic UK
- 3rd place
All of Milewski’s placements were in the men’s Wheelchair divisions of their respective contests.
2023 Olympia Pre-Judging & Results
- 2023 Mr. Olympia Prejudging Results
- Andrea Shaw Wins 2023 Ms. Olympia, Scoring Fourth Consecutive Title
- 2023 Wellness Olympia Prejudging Results
- Sarah Villegas Wins 2023 Women’s Physique Olympia, Reclaiming the Crown
- Cydney Wins 2023 Figure Olympia, Scores Seventh Consecutive Title
- Keone Pearson Wins 2023 212 Olympia
- Oksana Grishina Wins 2023 Fitness Olympia
- 2023 Bikini Olympia Prejudging Results
- 2023 Men’s Physique Olympia Prejudging Results
- 2023 Classic Physique Physique Olympia Prejudging Results
Featured image: @haroldkelley071 on Instagram
