Nick Walker won the 2026 Mr. Olympia Men’s Open title on September 26, capturing his first Sandow trophy and the $600,000 champion’s prize in Las Vegas.
Walker finished two points ahead of 2024 champion Samson Dauda on the official scorecard, 18-20. Defending champion Derek Lunsford placed third with 24 points, Andrew Jacked took fourth, and Tonio Burton completed the top five. Lower scores are better under the Olympia judging system.
The result made Walker the 20th athlete to win the Mr. Olympia. It also completed a striking one-year rise after his sixth-place finish in 2025. Walker received the People’s Champion award in addition to the Sandow, turning the final into the biggest competitive night of his career.
The outcome overturned the hierarchy discussed in MiddleEasy’s 2026 Men’s Open preview. Lunsford arrived as the reigning champion, Dauda sought to reclaim the title he held in 2024, and Andrew Jacked entered after winning the Arnold Classic. Walker moved ahead of all three during the decisive comparisons.
2026 Mr. Olympia Men’s Open Results, Prize Money
- Nick Walker — $600,000
- Samson Dauda — $200,000
- Derek Lunsford — $100,000
- Andrew Jacked — $40,000
- Tonio Burton — $30,000
- Michal Krizo
- Regan Grimes
- Behrooz Tabani Abarghani
- Brandon Curry
- James Hollingshead
The top five divided $970,000. Walker earned more than the other four listed finalists combined, while Dauda collected $200,000 and Lunsford received $100,000. Jacked and Burton were awarded $40,000 and $30,000.
The official top-10 scores were Walker 18, Dauda 20, Lunsford 24, Jacked 40, Burton 50, Krizo 64, Grimes 77, Tabani Abarghani 82, Curry 89, and Hollingshead 100. The narrow margin between Walker, Dauda, and Lunsford shows how concentrated the title race remained compared with the wider gaps beginning in fourth.
Walker Converts A Sixth-Place Finish Into A Championship
Walker’s victory was not a simple extension of the previous season. He had slipped to sixth in 2025 after earlier Olympia finishes of fifth in 2021 and third in 2022. He then missed the 2023 and 2024 contests before returning to the lineup. Winning in 2026 changed his Olympia record from repeated contention to an undisputed championship.
Dauda’s runner-up score kept him within two points of reclaiming the title. Lunsford remained on the podium but could not repeat his 2025 victory. Jacked reached fourth after entering the weekend as one of the strongest challengers, and Burton climbed into fifth to secure the final paid position.
The Men’s Open final closed the same Olympia weekend in which Keone Pearson won a fourth consecutive 212 title and Niall Darwen captured the Classic Physique championship. The event ran from September 24-27 at the Orleans Arena, with the official broadcast carried through the 2026 Olympia livestream.
Walker now enters the 2027 season as the defending champion rather than a challenger. Dauda’s two-point deficit and Lunsford’s third-place score establish the immediate pursuit order, while Jacked and Burton leave Las Vegas as the other top-five finalists. The final result confirms a new champion and a reshaped Men’s Open field.
The scorecard also separates the championship decision from the rest of the lineup. Only six points covered the first three athletes, but 16 points separated third from fourth. Walker therefore won a close three-man contest at the top while still creating a decisive boundary between the podium and the remaining finalists.
