Andrew Jacked won the richest prize in bodybuilding this year. In March he beat Nick Walker to the 2026 Arnold Classic title and its US$750,000 purse, more than the Mr Olympia winner earns. Six months later in Las Vegas he finished fourth, while Walker took the Olympia.
At 6ft 2in he’s the tallest man near the top of the Open division, and his route there was one of the strangest in the sport: an electrical engineer and former military officer in Nigeria who was spotted training with powerlifter Larry Wheels in his mid-thirties. Here’s who he is, how tall he is, and how his 2026 played out.
- Real name: Chinedu Andrew Obiekea
- Born: Kaduna, Nigeria, in 1984 or 1985 (sources differ), so 41 or 42
- Competes for: the United Arab Emirates; lives in Dubai
- Height: 6ft 2in (189cm)
- Off-season weight: about 290lb (132kg), per Wikipedia
- Biggest wins: Arnold Classic (2026), Arnold Classic UK (2026)
- Coach: Chris Aceto; trains day to day with Kamal El-Gargni
- Mr Olympia record: 8th (2022), 5th (2023), 5th (2024), 3rd (2025), 4th (2026)
Who is Andrew Jacked?
Andrew Jacked was born Chinedu Andrew Obiekea in Kaduna, Nigeria. He studied engineering and worked as an electrical engineer and military officer before turning to sport, first as a kickboxer, according to his Wikipedia profile.
He found fame in 2019 as the training partner of powerlifter Larry Wheels. Wheels’ followers saw his size and strength in their videos and pushed him to try a bodybuilding show. “I never knew I was that strong,” Jacked later said of those sessions, crediting Wheels with starting his career (Fitness Volt).
He moved fast for a man who started so late. He earned an elite pro card in 2021 at a show in Ajman, UAE, then his IFBB pro card by winning the amateur Arnold Classic in 2022, and placed eighth at his first Mr Olympia that same year. He now competes under the UAE flag. His coach is Chris Aceto, and he trains in the gym every day with Kamal El-Gargni, the British-Libyan former 212 Olympia champion (Fitness Volt).
Andrew Jacked’s height, weight and age
Height: 6ft 2in (189cm). That’s seven inches taller than Nick Walker and eight taller than Derek Lunsford. Height makes it harder to look full and dense on stage, which is why Lee Haney’s advice to him before the Olympia was to “stand tall and pose big” (Fitness Volt).
Weight: Wikipedia lists his off-season weight at about 290lb (132kg). No official 2026 stage weight has been published.
Age: sources give his birth year as 1984 or 1985, which makes him 41 or 42. He was 34 when he started training with Larry Wheels in 2019.
His 2026: the Arnold, then fourth at the Olympia
The US$750,000 Arnold Classic
Jacked won the 2026 Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio, on 7 March with 13 points to Walker’s 18, with 2022 Mr Olympia Hadi Choopan third. The prize was a record US$750,000 (Fitness Volt). He then won the Arnold Classic UK as well.
He went into the Olympia sounding certain. “I’m letting them know I’m coming. Get me. The confidence has been there,” he told Fitness Volt in March. “Mentally, now, I think I’m more ahead of them.”
Fourth in Las Vegas
It didn’t happen at the Olympia. Walker, the man he’d beaten in March, won with 18 points, ahead of Samson Dauda (20) and Derek Lunsford (24). Jacked was fourth on 40 points, a place lower than his third in 2025, and took home US$40,000 (Fitness Volt).
| Place | Bodybuilder | Points | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Walker | 18 | $600,000 |
| 2 | Samson Dauda | 20 | $200,000 |
| 3 | Derek Lunsford | 24 | $100,000 |
| 4 | Andrew Jacked | 40 | $40,000 |
| 5 | Tonio Burton | 50 | $30,000 |
Even so, his two Arnold titles made 2026 the most lucrative year of his career by far.
What went wrong, and what’s next
His coach, Chris Aceto, says the problem was conditioning, not size. “He was a little rounder than he needed to be, which really means, translates into… he could have been drier,” Aceto said after the show (Fitness Volt). He compared Jacked to 1990s star Flex Wheeler: “if Flex is a little off, he doesn’t win but if he’s right on, he just scorches the lineup.”
A week after the Olympia, Jacked guest-posed at an exhibition and looked bigger than he had in Las Vegas, which set off a round of fans saying he deserved a higher placing (Kulturistika). That fullness after a show is normal: muscles refill with water and glycogen once the contest diet ends.
He has already confirmed his entry for the 2027 Arnold Classic, where he’ll defend his title. Aceto says getting drier is the priority for Columbus.
Andrew Jacked’s Mr Olympia record
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 8th |
| 2023 | 5th |
| 2024 | 5th |
| 2025 | 3rd |
| 2026 | 4th |
How Andrew Jacked trains and eats
Jacked’s training is high volume and built around isolation work, with a lot of attention on how each rep is done. He also practises his posing as part of training, not just in peak week. Before his first Olympia he trained with Flex Lewis and Roelly Winklaar, and with Larry Wheels on shoulders and biceps in Dubai (Fitness Volt).
His diet is smaller than you’d expect for a 120kg-plus bodybuilder. Because of a sensitive stomach and food allergies, he eats only four or five meals a day. Fitness Volt describes a first meal of 50 to 70g of oats with 10 eggs, then meals of 200g chicken with rice or broccoli, plus a protein shake. Wikipedia puts it at about four meals and one shake a day.
What a late starter tells the rest of us
Jacked didn’t enter a bodybuilding show until his mid-thirties, and won the sport’s richest prize at about 41. If you think you’ve left it too late to build muscle, you haven’t:
- How to bulk and build muscle, and the bulking calculator to set your calories.
- The high protein foods list, with grams per serve.
- Phil Earley didn’t start bodybuilding until 57.
Andrew Jacked FAQ
What is Andrew Jacked’s real name?
Chinedu Andrew Obiekea.
Where did Andrew Jacked place at the 2026 Mr Olympia?
Fourth, with 40 points, behind Nick Walker, Samson Dauda and Derek Lunsford.
Did Andrew Jacked win the Arnold Classic?
Yes. He won the 2026 Arnold Classic in March, beating Nick Walker, and the US$750,000 prize. He also won the 2026 Arnold Classic UK.
How tall is Andrew Jacked?
6ft 2in (189cm).
How old is Andrew Jacked?
41 or 42. Sources give his birth year as 1984 or 1985.
Is Andrew Jacked Nigerian?
Yes. He was born in Kaduna, Nigeria, but lives in Dubai and competes for the United Arab Emirates.
Who coaches Andrew Jacked?
Chris Aceto. He also trains every day with Kamal El-Gargni, the former 212 Olympia champion.
Will Andrew Jacked compete at the 2027 Arnold Classic?
Yes. He has confirmed his entry and will defend the title he won in 2026.
How did Andrew Jacked get famous?
As Larry Wheels’ training partner in 2019. Wheels’ fans encouraged him to try bodybuilding.
