On Apr. 3, 2023, Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, aka “Andrew Jacked,” revealed in an Instagram post that he would compete at this summer’s 2023 Texas Pro. The bodybuilder is the contest’s defending champion in the Men’s Open division. The contest will feature eight separate competitive classes: the Open, 212, Women’s Physique, Figure, Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini, and Wellness. It will take place on Aug. 19, 2023, in Arlington, TX.
Jacked used his 2022 victory as a springboard to gain qualification into the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest. That performance was partly why a bodybuilding legend like four-time Arnold Classic (AC) champion Ken “Flex” Wheeler asserted Jacked was the next big thing. It appears Jacked will be using a similar path to live up to the hype in 2023.
With recent shifts to the 2023 Olympia qualification system — including the nixing of overall points standings from IFBB Pro League contests — anything less than a victory in Texas will force Jacked to find another avenue to qualify for the Olympia, set to take place Nov. 3-5. Not that this was a specific issue for Jacked in 2022, who was also triumphant in the 2022 Arnold Classic UK (ACUK). At the time of this article’s writing, it is unclear if Jacked will also feature in the 2023 edition of the ACUK.
As for Jacked’s recent exploits, he’s been keeping busy on stage.
After his Texas Pro and ACUK victories, Jacked would finish in eighth place at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Such a result is nothing to sneeze at for a competitor in their debut at bodybuilding’s biggest competition. Jacked would follow that performance with a third-place finish at the 2023 AC. Only champion Samson Dauda and 2022 Olympia third-place finisher Nick Walker (AC runner-up) fared better.
In the aftermath of his AC performance, Jacked maintained that he “deserved” his result. He seemed to ultimately channel it as motivation for improved results all around in any contests he appears in during the year 2023. Plus, while a moral victory in the AC isn’t what Jacked was seeking, finishing ahead of other more established Men’s Open stars 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) is something he can hang his hat on.
In an ideal world for Jacked, such a finish in the standings would be a teaser of the electricity he brings to competitive stages in the coming months.
There’s still a lot of work to do before Jacked establishes himself as a household name in the bodybuilding sphere. He’s assuredly already got the attention of his talented peers. Winning a major contest like the Olympia could be the next part of his career journey. Successfully defending his Texas Pro title might be the first step.
Featured image: @andrewjacked on Instagram
