by Christian Duque
So many people have been talking about Akim’s big win in Toronto over Quinton Eriya. A lot of people say that Quinton was robbed, but I don’t see it and I’m going to tell you why in my article. But before anything let me congratulate Akim on his big win and tell all of you that I have been a diehard fan of his ever since I met him in 2013 at the Arnold Classic. He has always been one of the nicest professional bodybuilders that I have ever known and in addition to the fact he is also quite possibly the strongest bodybuilder in the world. He is somebody who I have seen train ridiculously.
I mean, I can never forget taping him at the East Coast Mecca of Bodybuilding Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym. And at the time my trip was sponsored by IML and now IML is title sponsor of StrengthAddicts.com so it just goes to show you how cool history is. And I will tell you that when I saw Akim training, it became self-evident to me that this was not the strongest bodybuilder on YouTube or on some studio level, but he was legitimately one of the strongest bodybuilders in the world – in fact. Anyways, let me digress from my stroll down memory lane and talk to you about what this amazing professional athlete’s accomplished just days ago in Toronto.
First and foremost, I think it’s noteworthy to state that Akim announced his intentions of competing in Toronto just about a month ago. There wasn’t any major fanfare about it, much less trash talk. He simply stated he was doing this competition and then he did it. And what’s crazy is how good he looked in the shots he released on his social media feeds and to the press. Whether he was in the gym or more importantly in the hotel room posing, people got a real sense of how serious he was taking this competition. Again, we mustn’t forget that we are dealing with a Top Six Mr. Olympia competitor so again he knows what it takes to bring a top-notch physique to the stage. This is not just some random pro bodybuilder. Also, I would argue that the Olympia that he took top six in was far more competitive than last year’s Olympia or the Olympia that he’s going to be doing this year.
And that’s right folks because by winning Toronto Akim is going to the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding. And the fans couldn’t be more excited because of the fact that he has been in the Top 6 before and he knows how to compete amongst the best in the world. This is something that needs to be said about rookies on the Olympia stage. I have always believed that whoever competes at that prestigious level is a champion in their own right, but that does not mean that if you do not have a vast level of experience at level of competition that you may not be ready for the curveballs it may throw your way. I think a guy like Akim is ready for just about anything and that makes him incredibly dangerous. But we will talk about Akim and his chances at The O in a different article. I just wanted to note in this article that he qualified for the 2024 Olympia by way of winning the Toronto Pro.
I don’t want to be a hypocrite here, but I think the term robbery is now getting overplayed. I believe Martin Fitzwater got robbed in New York. I’m not taking that back not today, not tomorrow, not ever. That being said, I do not believe that Quinton Eriya was robbed in Toronto. I don’t think that there was a robbery of any sort that took place there. I think that Quinton looked a lot better in Toronto than he did in New York. And I don’t think anyone is going to disagree with me on that point. I also think that it’s interesting that Quinton moved up in the placings from New York to Toronto by self prepping. I think that falls under the category of a half truth that’s making the rounds. Let me elaborate.
It is true that Quinton placed higher in Toronto than New York? Yes. In New York he was fifth. In Toronto, he was second. That’s a difference of three placings. Anybody that can read will tell you that that is a market improvement. But everything is not so black-and-white. For example, the lineup in New York was considerably deeper than the lineup in Toronto. That has to count for something. And if the lineup was weaker in Toronto, that does not necessarily mean that Quinton was more successful by prepping himself than by longtime coach Matt Jansen. I know right now there is a tendency from some of Quinton’s fans follow that line, but I am not writing this as one of Quinton’s fans or as one of Quinton’s critics. I am simply writing this as an unbiased journalist for Iron Magazine. And as an unbiased journalist, I can’t really get behind the idea that Quinton coaching himself resulted in a dramatic improvement than Quinton being prepped by Matt Jansen. I also can’t behind Quinton being robbed. We are just not there yet. At least I am not.
Now I think we can all agree that Quinton looked better in Toronto than he did in New York. I think we can all agree that Beastwood was very impressive and very deserving of the placing that he received. Being runner-up at a competition is a tremendous honor because it means that some of the judges may have had you first. It also means that there is only one person in the whole competition that was better than you. That is a pretty huge statement. That means absolutely everybody on stage with the exception of one person is inferior to you according to the judges. However, it is not to say that everyone that finishes 2nd in a bodybuilding show is an uncrowned champion. I don’t think we saw Akim’s best in Toronto, either, but I also don’t think that we needed to see Akim’s best in Toronto in order for him to get an Olympia qualification.
I have to say at the end of the day professional bodybuilders at elite levels have to be strategic. There is no reason why a Top 6 Olympian is going to give 100% to win a qualifying show. There is simply no need for that because even at 90% they can still beat somebody like Quinton at 100%. This is not to say that Quinton cannot one day be on Akim’s level. It just means that right now, Akim is at a far more advanced level than Quinton. That’s all that means. I don’t want anyone to accuse me of throwing shade at Quinton because I am not. What I am saying is that Akim needed to give his best for the Olympia. So to suggest that Quinton narrowly lost to Akim, who was allegedly at his best, is simply not true. It’s just not true and it’s not true. No robbery took place in my opinion. Robbery could only have taken place if both guys were 100% and one narrowly edged out the other. And that is just not what happened in Toronto
I do want to give some praise. I want to talk about Akim’s phenomenal midsection and how diced and separated it was. Williams was full, but in great condition. Everyone has said the lights in Toronto were trash, but they were good enough for the judges to make their choice clear. They had a winner. In fact, Akim won both the prejudging and the finals – unanimously. Once again, let me reiterate, there was no robbery in Toronto.
In addition to condition, Akim is one of the biggest bodybuilders on the planet. He massive, but he’s also one of the strongest bodybuilders in the world. This has allowed him to create dense slabs of muscle that make him stand out from pretty much everyone else. I just want to say that seeing Akim in this condition was really refreshing to me as a fan because it reminded me of how good he really is. And I only make that comment because we haven’t really seen this version of him in a couple of years. So that’s even more reason why I don’t think any robbery took place in Toronto.
Anyways, let me shut up before I get myself in any more trouble. I’d like to send a huge congratulations to my man Akim. I want to send a huge congratulations to Quinton for really pushing the guy and also for making what I would say are significant improvements from New York. In closing, I just want to say that I think we may see Akim in the Olympia Top 6 once again. I’m very excited about that. This year’s Olympia is looking to be one for the record books!