On May 18, 2024, the 2024 New York Pro occurred in Teaneck, NJ. One of the premiere contests of the IFBB Pro League season, the New York Pro featured the Men’s Open division, highlighted by Nick Walker, who made his competitive return after recovering from a hamstring tear that sidelined him from the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest.
Spoiler alert: Walker claimed the second New York Pro title of his career (his first was in 2021 to qualify for his debut Olympia). The big story, however, wasn’t only that Walker rebounded as well as he did from his injury, but that he actually progressed his physique despite it.
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Walker’s updated physique was most noticeable in his conditioning and tightened midsection. Walker tightened his shape from the 2022 Mr. Olympia to the 2023 Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH, where he finished second to Samson Dauda.
Dauda defeated Walker at the 2023 Arnold Classic arguably on size, as Walker had shifted away from the mass monster and more to X-frame aesthetics. Judging by his 2024 New York Pro victory, Walker maintained those cleaner aesthetics but regained some of that size that was perhaps what prevented a gold medal in Columbus.
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Walker’s two-point win over Martin Fitzwater in Teaneck qualified Walker for his Olympia return in 2024. Walker has not shared a competitive stage with the reigning Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford since the 2022 Mr. Olympia, where Lunsford scored silver to Walker’s bronze.
Between Walker, Lunsford, Dauda, and the reigning Arnold Classic champion and former Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan, the 2024 Mr. Olympia is as stacked as any Olympia in history.
Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram
