2021 Arnold Classic USA: Nick Walker wins.
Nick Walker said he would win and he did. Nick is the 2021 Arnold Classic USA champion. A prestigious title going to the young bodybuilder star.
The 2021 Arnold Classic USA was a cut down version of what we are usually used to. The expo, amateur contests and Strongman championships were postponed till 2022. But the bodybuilding events were exciting as ever.
Going into the show, Nick Walker, one of the youngest bodybuilders in the Pro League, said he would win the show. It was a bold and risky statement for Nick to say, but he remained focused on winning that title.
Leading up to the event, a number of high profile bodybuilders had to pull out, either because of injury or travel complications. Cedric McMillan, Roelly Winklaar, Lionel Beyeke and defending champion William Bonac.
Nick was still not labeled as the favorite to win the event. A number of high profile people in the industry put a number of bodybuilders ahead of Nick Walker. Athletes such as Steve Kuclo, Sergio Oliva Jr, Iain Valliere would do everything were in his way to get the title.
When the day of the event arrived, Nick would prove the bodybuilding world wrong. the minute Nick stepped on stage, it was evident that he did his homework and prepared for this event perfectly.
In pre-judging. Nick was immediately put next to Steve Kuclo and Iain Valliere. As the pre-judging continued, Iain fell to the second callout, leaving Nick and Kuclo fighting for the top spot in the final stages of pre-judging.
It was evident the title would go to Nick. No other bodybuilder had the hard, defined condition that Nick presented. For such a young bodybuilder, Nick presented a physique that we are used to seeing in bodybuilders much older than him.
Nick also took home an additional $10,000 after he won the Franco Columbo Most Muscular Award.
The comeback of the evening went to Iain Valliere. At the end of pre-judging, many believed that Iain would not place in the top three, but the man from Canada did his homework and fought back to place second.
Iain had the size and condition to go for the win, but he still could not match Nick’s condition.
Nick and Iain are the the best bodybuilders on the pro circuit at the moment, next to the top finishers on the Mr. Olympia lineup.
Both having convincing victories on their resume, they will definitely be a force to reckon with at the 2021 Mr. Olympia.
From almost winning the show, Steve Kuclo had to settle for third place. Always named as a favorite when going into the show, even when compared to Nick, it was evident he and the rest of the competitors would be fighting for second place.
Fourth place went to Justin Rodriguez. In pre-judging, Justin was in the first callout and then he was again in the third callout. He was another bodybuilder who presented a very good physique. This placing is a move up from 2018, when he placed seventh.
Justin is having a great 2021 season, winning the Indy Pro and placing second to Nick Walker at the 2021 New York Pro.
Already qualified for the 2021 Mr. Olympia, Justin can now concentrate on the big event.
Akim William’s was predicted by many in the industry that he would win the event. After his sixth place finish at the 2020 Mr. Olympia, Akim definitely had what it takes to win the Arnold Classic.
Akim had to settle for fifth, moving up to places from his seventh place finish in 2020.
Unfortunately, Sergio Oliva Jr. will not be competing at the 2021 Mr. Olympia after finishing in sixth place at the Arnold Classic. The Arnold Classic was the only competition that Sergio decided to compete at in 2021, and only a victory would have guaranteed him a place on the Mr. Olympia stage.
Sergio was picked as a favorite to win the event as well. Sergio presented a bigger physique compared to 2020 and we was in great condition. Maybe he could have placed higher, but the judges had their final say and he had to settle for sixth.
Sergio again won the Best Poser award, taking home an additional $10,000 for his great performance.
The man from Russia, Mokhamed El Emam, took the seventh spot. A very good result for his Arnold Classic debut. Mokhamed managed to get a better placing than Maxx Charles and Hassan Mostafa.
We believe the biggest disappointment of the evening is the placings of Maxx Charles and Hassan Mostafa. Finishing in eighth and ninth place respectively, these two bodybuilders have so much potential.
For some reason, Maxx and Hassan seem to miss the mark, when it’s time to step on stage. Both these bodybuilders have the potential to win any event they compete in, but when standing next to the best in the world, they both have to raise their game.
Seung Chul Lee is another bodybuilder that made his debut on the Arnold Classic stage. unfortunately finished in last place, but the lineup was stacked with the best bodybuilders in the world. Seung will surely improve, and we are sure he will achieve better placings in the near future.
A lucky win for Nick Walker?
The defending champion and 2X Arnold Classic USA winner, William Bonac had to miss the event due travel complications.
Leading up to the show, William was the clear favorite to defend his title, but after seeing Nick Walker, we believe he might have had a chance to defeat William.
William is a fantastic bodybuilder, and he packs a lot of muscle on his short frame, but the young Nick Walker proved that he can also defeat bodybuilders almost twice his size.
This will be a matchup that that we will now see at the 2021 Mr. Olympia in just a few weeks, when both William and Bonac stand next to each other on the Olympia stage.
Both William and Nick will surely be compared at the 2021 Mr. Olympia, and this will be a highly debated subject leading up to the big event.
Bodybuilding
1. Nick Walker ($130,000)
2. Iain Valliere ($75,000)
3. Steve Kuclo ($50,000)
4. Justin Rodriguez ($30,000)
5. Akim Williams ($15,000)
6. Sergio Oliva Jr. ($10,000)
7. Mokhamed El Emam ($2000)
8. Maxx Charles ($2000)
9. Hassan Mostafa ($2000)
10. Seung Chul Lee ($2000)
Classic Physique
Terrence Ruffin wins the Arnold Classic 2021 Classic Physique
Logan Franklin won the Best Poser Award, taking home an additional $10,000.
1. Terrence Ruffin
2. Alex Cambronero
3. Logan Franklin
4. Courage Opara
5. Bryan Jones
6. Fabian Mayr
7. Dani Younan
8. Peter Molnar
9. Tony Taveras
10. Jarek Crew
Fitness International
Missy Truscott wins her 2nd consecutive Fitness International title
1. Missy Truscott ($25,000)
2. Oksana Grishina ($13,000)
3. Ariel Khadr ($8000)
4. Jaclyn Baker
5. Aurika Tyrgale
6. Darrian Borrello
7. Minna Pajulahti
8. Sally Kendall-Williams
Bikini International
Jennier Dorie wins the Arnold Classic 2021 Bikini title
1. Jennier Dorie ($7,000)
2. Elisa Pecini ($4000)
3. Lauralie Chapados
4. Ashley Kaltwasser
5. Romina Basualdo
6. Breena Martinez
7. Jasmine Gonzlez
8. Jourdanne Lee
9. Gabriella Messias
10. Priscila Leimbacher
