Nick Walker is the 2026 Mr Olympia. A year after finishing sixth, the 32-year-old from New Jersey won bodybuilding’s biggest title in Las Vegas on Saturday 26 September by two points, beating 2024 champion Samson Dauda and defending champion Derek Lunsford, and took home US$600,000.
It was the comeback few people predicted. Walker had pulled out of the Olympia in both 2023 and 2024, finished sixth in 2025, then parted ways with his coach and briefly coached himself. Here’s who he is, how tall he really is, and how he got from sixth to first.
- Born: 3 August 1994, Pine Hill, New Jersey (32)
- Nickname: “The Mutant”
- Height: 5ft 7in (170cm)
- Division: Men’s Open, IFBB Pro League
- Biggest wins: Mr Olympia (2026), Arnold Classic (2021), New York Pro (2021, 2024, 2025), Tampa Pro (2026)
- Olympia record: 5th (2021), 3rd (2022), withdrew (2023, 2024), 6th (2025), 1st (2026)
- Coach for the 2026 win: Prabh Dhaliwal
Who is Nick Walker?
Walker is an American professional bodybuilder in the Men’s Open, the heaviest and most prestigious division in the IFBB Pro League. He was born on 3 August 1994 in Pine Hill, New Jersey, and began competing in 2012, according to his Wikipedia profile.
His rise was fast. After winning the 2020 NPC North American Championships overall, he turned pro and, within a year, won the 2021 New York Pro and the 2021 Arnold Classic. He placed fifth at his first Olympia that year and third in 2022, when fans also voted him People’s Champion. His nickname is “The Mutant”.
Nick Walker’s height, weight and age
Height: Walker is 5ft 7in (170cm), which is short for an Open bodybuilder but not unusual. Several Olympia champions have been well under six feet, and a shorter frame makes it easier to look dense and full.
Weight: published figures vary. Fitness Volt lists him at 250lb (113kg), while Wikipedia gives 270 to 295lb (122 to 134kg). Bodybuilders are much heavier in the off-season than on stage, so the higher numbers are most likely off-season weights. Walker hasn’t published an official stage weight for 2026.
Age: he was born on 3 August 1994, so he’s 32. He won the Olympia at 32.
How he won Mr Olympia 2026
Two missed Olympias, then sixth
Walker’s path to the title went through three bad years. He withdrew from the 2023 Olympia after tearing a hamstring in prep, BarBend reported. In 2024 he pulled out again: “My body just said I need a break,” Walker said, and his then coach, Matt Jansen, said it wasn’t his best package (Fitness Volt). When he did return in 2025, he placed sixth.
A new look at the Arnold
After 2025 Walker split with coach Kyle Wilkes and brought his own prep to the 2026 Arnold Classic in March. He finished second to Andrew Jacked, five points behind, and won the Franco Columbu Most Muscular award (Fitness Volt). The tighter midsection was the change everyone noticed.
A new coach, and the Tampa Pro
In June he hired coach Prabh Dhaliwal, a lower-profile name than gurus like Hany Rambod or Chris Aceto. His reason was simple: he wanted someone else to do the thinking. “I just like being a robot,” he said in a video reported by Fitness Volt. “If I can find somebody that I know I can trust, I’ll pick the robot.” He then won the Tampa Pro.
Olympia weekend
The 62nd Mr Olympia ran from 24 to 27 September at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Orleans Arena, with the Men’s Open final on Saturday night. Walker led after prejudging with 8 points to Lunsford’s 9 and Dauda’s 15 (lower is better). Dauda won the final round outright, but Walker’s lead held: he finished on 18 points to Dauda’s 20 and Lunsford’s 24, and was also voted People’s Champion for the second time.
| Place | Bodybuilder | Country | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Walker | USA | $600,000 |
| 2 | Samson Dauda | UK | $200,000 |
| 3 | Derek Lunsford | USA | $100,000 |
| 4 | Andrew Jacked | UAE | $40,000 |
| 5 | Tonio Burton | USA | $30,000 |
| 6 | Michal Krizo | Slovakia | – |
“I did it. This is remarkable. I’m speechless,” Walker said on stage, according to Fitness Volt. “Don’t ever believe any negativity… If you truly have confidence, you can do whatever you want.”
Going from sixth to first in a year is rare. Fitness Volt notes that only Ronnie Coleman, ninth in 1997 before the first of his eight titles in 1998, had won the Olympia from further back the year before.
Nick Walker’s Mr Olympia record
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 5th |
| 2022 | 3rd (People’s Champion) |
| 2023 | Withdrew (hamstring tear) |
| 2024 | Withdrew (prep) |
| 2025 | 6th |
| 2026 | 1st (People’s Champion) |
How Nick Walker trains
For an Olympia champion, Walker’s week is surprisingly light. Before the Tampa Pro he described a four-day split. He tried a five-day split with an extra back session, found it “too much”, and went back to four. The second half of his week was shoulders and triceps with light chest and back touch-ups on Thursday, a dedicated leg day on Friday, and weekends off (Fitness Volt). He also cut back on what he called “drastic cardio” for the 2026 season and said he felt better than in most preps.
The lesson for the rest of us isn’t the volume, it’s the recovery: four hard sessions, two full days off, and a coach so he doesn’t have to overthink peak week.
Train like Nick Walker
- Legs, his best body part: our leg day workout, and why training legs won’t shrink your arms.
- Size: how to bulk and build muscle, and the bulking calculator to set your calories.
- Protein: the high protein foods list, with grams per serve.
More bodybuilders on MFO
- Sam Sulek: age, height, pro career and how he trains
- He didn’t start bodybuilding until 57. At 60, Phil Earley is winning championships
- At 90, he’s still bodybuilding: Toshisuke Kanazawa
- The bodybuilding competition that makes every athlete take a lie detector test
Nick Walker FAQ
Who won Mr Olympia 2026?
Nick Walker won the 2026 Mr Olympia in Las Vegas on 26 September, ahead of Samson Dauda (second) and Derek Lunsford (third). It was his first Olympia title.
How tall is Nick Walker?
5ft 7in (170cm).
How old is Nick Walker?
32. He was born on 3 August 1994.
How much did Nick Walker win at the Olympia?
US$600,000 for first place in the Men’s Open. Dauda won US$200,000 for second and Lunsford US$100,000 for third.
Where is Nick Walker from?
Pine Hill, New Jersey, in the United States.
Has Nick Walker won the Arnold Classic?
Yes, in 2021. He was second at the Arnold in 2023 and again in March 2026, behind Andrew Jacked.
Who is Nick Walker’s coach?
Prabh Dhaliwal, whom he hired in June 2026 after briefly coaching himself for the Arnold Classic. His previous coaches include Kyle Wilkes and Matt Jansen.
