Samson Dauda, a Nigerian-British bodybuilder, has made history by winning the 60th Mr Olympia bodybuilding contest, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada, USA.
Dauda, who began his bodybuilding career in 2014, claimed the top prize on Saturday, taking the championship title back to the United Kingdom.
He walked away with a record-breaking $600,000 in prize money after defeating top competitors Hadi Choopan, Derek Lunsford, Martin Fitzwater and Andrew Jacked, who placed second, third and fourth, respectively.
Notably, Lunsford and Choopan are former Mr Olympia champions, adding to the significance of Dauda’s victory. Choopan, who finished in second place, earned a cash prize of $250,000.
Dauda had previously finished third in the 2023 edition of Mr Olympia. But this year, Dauda won the and was also named the People’s Champion. At the end of the contest, he received both a championship belt and a trophy.
Dauda has established himself to be a force in bodybuilding since 2022. In 2022, for instance, he won the prestigious Arnold Classic United Kingdom.
Despite being considered an underdog, he made a strong debut at the 2022 Mr Olympia, where he finished sixth behind former two-time Mr Olympia Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elsbiay.
His rise continued in 2023 when he secured third place at Mr Olympia and won the 2023 Arnold Classic, an annual contest of strength created by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Lorimer and Terry Todd.
