Samson Dauda won the 2024 Mr Olympia contest on Saturday night at Resorts World Theater in Las Vegas.
Born on 11 March 1992 in Nigeria to parents Patrick and Helen Dauda, he later moved to the United Kingdom and now resides in the United States.
Dauda won his first Olympia title – and the richest prize in the sport’s history.
It came at the end of a tense competition that saw the judges perform several callouts before finally feeling confident in their decision to announce a new champion.
Dauda completed a long, arduous journey to the pinnacle of bodybuilding on Saturday, winning the Mr Olympia competition and beating out two former champions, Iran’s Hadi Choopan and American Derek Lunsford, to collect the title.
Dauda’s victory ensured that the Mr Olympia title would return to the United Kingdom for the first time since Dorian Yates’s six-year run atop the industry ended in 1997.
Dauda won $600 000 (R10.5 million), a record payout for a Mr Olympia winner.
Choopan was awarded $250 000 (R4.37 million).
Samson Dauda was also named People’s Champion
The moment he was announced as the victor, Dauda dropped to his knees and broke down in tears before he hoisted the most coveted prize in his sport.
Saturday’s results marked the second year in a row that 2022 champion Choopan finished in second place. It also meant that the 2023 champion, Lunsford, fell to third place this year.
Dauda was not only the judge’s choice for the win but also was named the People’s Champion. He received a championship belt and trophy.
After several callouts and great uncertainty as to which competitor would ultimately impress the judges enough to earn their selection as the winner, Dauda emerged victoriously, announcing his arrival at the peak of the bodybuilding world with a win on its grandest stage.
