{"id":17086,"date":"2026-04-02T18:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=17086"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:44:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:44:00","slug":"martin-fitzwaters-coach-says-2026-mr-olympia-is-not-guaranteed-we-are-going-to-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=17086","title":{"rendered":"Martin Fitzwater&#8217;s Coach Says 2026 Mr. Olympia Is Not Guaranteed: \u201cWe Are Going To See\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-stefan-kienzl-signals-fitzwater-must-be-fully-ready-before-committing-to-the-olympia-stage\"><strong>Stefan Kienzl signals Fitzwater must be fully ready before committing to the Olympia stage.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/martin-fitzwater-profile-stats-bio\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"159396\">Martin Fitzwater<\/a>\u2018s appearance at the 2026 Mr. Olympia is not yet confirmed. <\/strong>When asked whether Fitzwater would compete at the Olympia this year, his coach Stefan Kienzl did not give a straightforward yes. Speaking on the Beyond The Stage TV podcast, Kienzl made clear that the decision will come down to Fitzwater\u2019s preparation, health, and momentum heading into the back half of the season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWe are gonna see,\u201d Kienzl said. \u201cHe wants to improve, he needs to improve. He wants to be undeniable and that\u2019s the path we\u2019re going to walk and we\u2019re going to see when that will be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<noscript><\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"x-WzKghu0oQ\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Stefan Kienzl Exclusive \/ Martin doing the Olympia? \/ Wesley &amp; Andrei win the Olympia?\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x-WzKghu0oQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-season-that-has-gone-sideways\"><strong>A Season That Has Gone Sideways<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>It was not long ago that Fitzwater looked like one of the sport\u2019s most exciting rising forces. The 29-year-old Wyoming native burst onto the scene in 2024, winning the <a href=\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/2024-detroit-pro-results\/\">Detroit Pro<\/a> and following it up with a remarkable fourth-place finish at the <a href=\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/2024-mr-olympia-results-all-divisions\/\">2024 Mr. Olympia<\/a>. His competitive drive combined with his impressive combination of size and aesthetics for his age had made him one of the sport\u2019s can\u2019t-miss young talents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Coming into 2026, that trajectory appeared to be continuing. Back-to-back <a href=\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/2025-evls-prague-pro-results\/\">EVLS Prague Pro victories<\/a> and a top-five finish at the <a href=\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/olympia\/\">2025 Mr. Olympia<\/a> had positioned him as an emerging title contender. The Arnold Classic in Columbus was supposed to be his next statement moment. Instead, it became something else entirely.<\/p>\n<p>Fitzwater finished fourth while <a href=\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/andrew-jacked-profile\/\">Andrew Jacked<\/a> claimed the historic $750,000 first-place prize. What followed was a wave of controversy \u2013 a refusal to shake Nick Walker\u2019s hand on stage, an alleged shove backstage, and a social media meltdown that cost him major sponsorships including RAW and Elev8 Foods. He eventually issued a public apology, acknowledging that his behavior was \u201cout of character\u201d and that he takes \u201cfull responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He then traveled to Birmingham for the <a href=\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/2026-arnold-classic-uk-bodybuilding-results\/\">2026 Arnold Classic UK<\/a>, where he again finished fourth behind Jacked, Brandon Curry, and Patrick Moore.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-from-uncertain-to-undeniable\"><strong>From Uncertain to Undeniable<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Fitzwater holds Olympia qualification from his 2025 Prague Pro victory, so the door is open. But Kienzl\u2019s comments reflect a coach being deliberate about his athlete\u2019s readiness. Rather than committing to Las Vegas out of obligation, the priority is ensuring Fitzwater arrives at the Olympia stage in the best possible condition \u2013 physically prepared, healthy, and with momentum behind him.<\/p>\n<p>Two fourth-place finishes at marquee events this spring have raised questions within the bodybuilding community about where Fitzwater currently stands. Kienzl\u2019s response to those questions is measured: the focus is on the work ahead, not the calendar.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-road-ahead\"><strong>The Road Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Fitzwater\u2019s credentials speak for themselves \u2013 a Detroit Pro title, back-to-back Olympia appearances, and a reputation as one of the hardest working athletes on the circuit. The competitive fire that carried him from a small Wyoming town to the Olympia stage has never been in question.<\/p>\n<p>What Kienzl is making clear is that for Fitzwater, the remainder of 2026 is about getting back to his best. If the preparation is there, the Olympia will follow. If it is not, his coach has shown he is willing to wait.<\/p>\n<p><em>*Featured image via Instagram @arnoldsports \/ Beyond The Stage TV YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/generationiron.com\/martin-fitzwater-2026-olympia-not-guaranteed\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stefan Kienzl signals Fitzwater must be fully ready before committing to the Olympia stage. Martin Fitzwater\u2018s appearance at the 2026 Mr. Olympia is not yet confirmed. When asked whether Fitzwater would compete at the Olympia this year, his coach Stefan Kienzl did not give a straightforward yes. Speaking on the Beyond The Stage TV podcast, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":683,"featured_media":17087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[151],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17086","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-olympia-winners"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Martin Fitzwater&#039;s Coach Says 2026 Mr. Olympia Is Not Guaranteed: \u201cWe Are Going To See\u201d - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=17086\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Martin Fitzwater&#039;s Coach Says 2026 Mr. Olympia Is Not Guaranteed: \u201cWe Are Going To See\u201d - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stefan Kienzl signals Fitzwater must be fully ready before committing to the Olympia stage. Martin Fitzwater\u2018s appearance at the 2026 Mr. Olympia is not yet confirmed. When asked whether Fitzwater would compete at the Olympia this year, his coach Stefan Kienzl did not give a straightforward yes. 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