Andrew Jacked Says He “Deserved” His Third-Place Finish at 2023 Arnold Classic

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After an eighth-place debut at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, some had surmised that Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, aka “Andrew Jacked,” would show out at the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC). To a degree, he did. The relative rookie, beginning his second year as an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) pro bodybuilder, took home a third-place podium finish. Like his contemporary Nick Walker, who was the runner-up to champion Samson Dauda, Jacked isn’t lamenting over what could’ve been. He’s got his vision aimed straight ahead.

On Mar. 5, 2023, Jacked shared a poignant and thoughtful Instagram post offering a personal reflection on his AC performance. Among the more notable tidbits was the rising star’s assessment of an earned result.

In some ways, Jacked seeming content with his AC result is appropriate. The athlete has already enjoyed a sterling rise to prominence. His respective wins at the 2022 Texas Pro and 2022 Arnold Classic UK contests demonstrate as much of someone with elite mass and a dynamite commitment to nutrition. At this pace, Jacked appears to only be improving.

That makes his heartfelt evaluation of the 2023 AC all too fitting. He only fell short of two other athletes while finishing ahead of established superstars like two-time Mr. Olympia (2020, 2021) Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay (fourth place) and two-time 212 Olympia champion (2020, 2022) Shaun Clarida (fifth place), and two-time AC winner (2018, 2020) William Bonac (seventh place).

The best might truly be ahead for Jacked.

“Arnold Classic 2023 done and dusted, gameplan was executed,” Jacked wrote. “[I was] awesome and tighter in prejudging, slacked a bit in the Finals, and third place was so deserved! I’m so happy with the package presented on stage.”

As the athlete takes a break after an apparent “366 consecutive days” of contest-focused preparations, he thanked his two coaches, Chris “Psycho” Lewis and Chris Aceto, for their help. It might only be fair to assume they’ll continue to coax out the best in him.

“I’m sincerely grateful to Chris [Aceto] and Chris [Lewis] for an amazing six-week camp prep,” Jacked wrote. “Taking a break now after a long 366 days of actively prepping … and will come back fresher, stronger, prettier, classier & better.”

With names like the former two-time Mr. Olympia (2020-2021) champion Elssbiay losing their mantle, bodybuilding appears to be in a current state of flux. An established juggernaut might not be coming out victorious in every significant contest just yet. Based on his recent progress, that competitor could very well become Jacked in due time.

Featured image: @andrewjacked on Instagram

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