And now there's 10. With just over 2 weeks until the 2022 Arnold Classic kicks-off, IFBB pro Akim Williams withdrew from the competition. Williams is now the fourth athlete to drop out of the contest that will be held on March 4-5th in Columbus, Ohio, at the Arnold Sports Festival. So there are now 10 athletes scheduled to compete in the Men's Open Division.
WHO IS AKIM WILLIAMS?
IFBB Pro Akim Williams, AKA "BK Beast," was originally from Grenada and was born in 1984. He is a professional bodybuilder with over 240k followers on Instagram. Williams now co-hosts the podcast Legends of Iron alongside powerlifter Nick Best and fellow bodybuilder Jon Andersen.
Williams isn't new to the bodybuilding scene; he won the NPC North Americans in 2013 and has since racked up a few noticeable wins.
Williams has three big wins under his belt over the past 9 years by winning the 2016 Tamp Pro, the 2020 Chicago Pro, and last year's 2021 Puerto Rico Pro.
Last year Williams landed in 9th place at 2021 Mr. Olympia, so we expected him to come back hungry to prove himself at the Arnold. Guess we'll have to wait and see when he'll be stepping back onto the stage.
Akim Williams Drops Out Of Arnold 2022
Muscular Development was the first to break the news of Williams's withdrawal from the competition. As of now, Williams hasn't posted anything about why he's dropped out. It would've been his fourth Arnold Classic had Williams competed next month, with his best finish of 5th place.
Williams is now the fourth athlete to drop out from the competition. Last month, we reported Rafael Brandao withdrawing to focus on Olympia, then news broke of Nathan De Asha and Mohamed Shaaban withdrawing due to injuries.
Current 2022 Arnold Classic Lineup
The remaining 10 athletes are listed below in alphabetical order; if there are future changes to this roster, we'll let you know.
- William Bonac - Netherlands
- Maxx Charles - USA
- Brandon Curry - USA
- Samson Dauda - United Kingdom
- Regan Grimes - Canada
- Steve Kuclo - United States
- Cedric McMillan - USA
- Fabio Giga Rezende - Brazil
- Justin Rodriguez - USA
- Brett Wilkin - USA
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We're unaware of whether or not the organizers will replace the now four vacant spots, but there might not be many left competing for the title at this rate. We will keep you posted on the 2022 Arnold Classic and whether or not new athletes will be added to the lineup.
Who would you place your bets on to win the title?
Kiel DiGiovanni
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