A week ago, Arnold Classic 2024 contender Andrew Jacked made headlines over his decision to pull out of the championship. After months of prep, the icon made the tough decision to focus on personal matters and not compete with unsatisfactory prep.
In a recent episode of the Menace Podcast, Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, Chris Cormier, and Ron Harris discussed Jacked’s decision and its impact. They also mulled over the reason behind the sudden change of mind and what could come in the future.
Jacked was supposed to be present at both Arnold’s Sports Festival in Ohio and Arnold’s Expo in the UK. However, he pulled out of both, claiming that he had many things going on at the same time that affected his prep.
“I’m pulling out from both Arnold’s. I’m having so many things happening at same time from different factors and all needs my attention which makes it difficult to concentrate for this prep.”
The elite bodybuilders took this up during their podcast to discuss what could’ve happened and the consequences. James immediately claimed that Jacked’s prep wasn’t up to expectations, and with veterans like Hadi Choopan going up on stage, he needed to be at the top of his game.
Others agreed, with Cormier speculating how things must have gotten harder watching Choopan and Samson Dauda give their A games at the previous Olympia. To this, Sarcev had some insights surrounding Jacked’s history of competing in the past year.
“He competed way too much…sometimes you just try…hoping that your body’s going to respond, and you know probably he realized this is not happening at the level that he wanted.”
This isn’t the first case of bodybuilders quitting a big show weeks after confirming their presence. During the 2023 Mr. Olympia prep, a bunch of bodybuilders pulled out due to various reasons. Most of them were related to injuries.
Before Arnold Classic 2024, what happened a week before 2023 Mr. Olympia?
While bodybuilders like Andrew Jacked and Emile Walker pulled out of the Arnold Sports Festival this year, last year’s Mr. Olympia saw one of the most tragic twists days before the competition.
View this post on Instagram
One of the best contenders, Nick Walker, had pulled out of the Olympia due to a horrific hamstring injury. The announcement came in at the last moment, and fans were heartbroken at the news. Nevertheless, a champion always bounces back. The next Mr. Olympia would hopefully get to witness Walker and Jacked go head-to-head along with other contenders.
