Reigning Ms. Figure Olympia Nicole Wilkins, has withdrawn from the 2014 Arnold Classic.
Here is Nicole’s official statement on her Facebook Page:
“I am very disappointed to announce that I will not be able to compete at this year’s Arnold Sports Festival due to a shoulder injury that will prevent me from training for the next 4-6 weeks. I originally suffered the injury in October and had to stop training most upper body movements for a little over a month. I was able to resume training about a week before the Figure International applications were due, and at that time I decided I was going to do everything in my power to get on stage in Columbus. Unfortunately, I never gave the injury enough time to heal, and it is at the point where I can no longer train like I need to in order to continue my prep. I expect to be fully recovered in order to resume training and defend my Figure Olympia title in September. I would like to thank everyone for their support and understanding during this difficult time, including Jim and Bob Lormier, my manager JM Manion, Fitness Management Group, the IFBB Pro League and my sponsors MET-Rx, 6 Pack Fitness and FitnessRx for Women Magazine. Most of all, thank you to my friends, family, and all of the fans for your continued support of me and all of the great athletes who will be competing at this year’s Arnold Sports Festival. I will still be in Columbus working the Met-Rx booth, so please stop by and say hello if you are attending this year.”
