Nigerian-British bodybuilder Samson Dauda has clinched the 2024 Mr. Olympia title, winning a record-breaking prize of $600,000, the largest in the sport’s history.
The competition took place at the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, marking the grand finale of the 2024 Olympia.
Fifteen elite bodybuilders advanced to the final stage after the preliminary rounds, where Dauda emerged as the overall champion. He surpassed Hadi Choopan, who took second place, and the 2023 Olympia champion, Derek Lunsford, who finished third.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Dauda is a professional bodybuilder competing in the men’s open division of the IFBB Pro League. Born in Lagos, he moved to the United Kingdom as a teenager, initially focusing on rugby until he was introduced to bodybuilding through encouragement from his teammates.
Dauda earned his IFBB Pro card in 2017 by winning the overall title at the IFBB Amateur Diamond Cup in Rome, a pivotal moment in his career. The following year, he made his professional debut at the EVLS Prague Showdown, finishing fifth.
His first victory as an IFBB Pro athlete came in 2021 at the EVLS Prague Pro, which qualified him for the 2022 Mr. Olympia competition, where he made his debut and placed sixth.
