Andrew Jacked wins Arnold
Andrew Jacked took the Men’s Open at Arnold Classic 2026 and walked away with the $750,000 top prize — a statement win that cements him among today’s elite bodybuilders. Arnold Schwarzenegger also made headlines by training publicly on the expo floor at the Panatta booth, underscoring the festival’s mix of competition and hands-on fitness culture. (nationaltoday.com) (healthclubmanagement.co.uk).
Chinedu Andrew Obiekea — the competitor known as Andrew Jacked — was born in Nigeria and moved into pro bodybuilding after careers in kickboxing, engineering and the military, earning his IFBB Elite Pro card with a win at the EBBF Ajman contest in 2021. (generationiron.com) The Men’s Open final concluded on March 7, 2026, and Jacked arrived at the Arnold Classic off a career‑best third‑place finish at the 2025 Mr. Olympia in October. (muscleandfitness.com) Nick Walker finished as runner‑up, Hadi Choopan was third, Martin Fitzwater placed fourth and Brandon Curry rounded out the top five in the Men’s Open final; early prejudging had grouped Jacked, Walker, Choopan and Fitzwater together for the initial callouts. (generationiron.com) Jacked also took home the Ed Corney Best Poser award and its $10,000 bonus, while Nick Walker won the Franco Columbu Most Muscular award and the same $10,000 prize. (muscleandfitness.com) The Arnold Sports Festival ran March 5–8 at the Battelle Grand inside the Greater Columbus Convention Center and staged seven professional divisions, including Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini, Fitness and a Pro Wheelchair class. (fitnessvolt.com) Arnold Schwarzenegger worked out on the expo floor on March 6 at the Panatta booth — Panatta was listed as a Gold Sponsor — and event video and posts show him training on Panatta equipment (the Three Angle Biceps machine) and taking selfies with fans. (panattasport.com)
