The 2024 Mr. Olympia was the most unpredictable in recent memory. Usually, there’s one clear winner. Sometimes, like the previous two years, two well-matched bodybuilders duel for the title. But three men duking it out in three-way comparisons, each making their case in one pose or another, that just isn’t a thing in the Super Bowl of bodybuilding. But this year, in the 60th Mr. Olympia, it was. 2022 Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan, 2023 Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford, and 2023 Arnold Classic champ Samson Dauda each could’ve—and their fans will argue should’ve—won. But in the end, there could only be one victor. And bodybuilding has a new king.
2024 MR. OLYMPIA PREJUDGING
FIRST CALLOUT
The first callout of prejudging on Friday evening was a little bit of a head fake from the judges as they threw in seven competitors, two too many to really get a good look at everyone. The seven participants were: Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked, Hunter Labrada, Rafael Brandao, and Martin Fitzwater. There were two surprises: (1.) Fitzwater made the Mr. Olympia first callout in his Olympia debut, and (2.) Brandon Curry, 2019 Mr. Olympia winner, missed it, after finishing in the top five of the previous six Olympias, including fourth place last year.
Still, all eyes were on the three men in the middle, the no-doubt-about-it top three.
LAST CALLOUT
The final callout of Friday’s prejudging confirmed what we already knew, what was easily predictable all year long. It was a three-man race between the last two Mr. Olympias and the next top contender: Iranian Hadi Choopan, American Derek Lunsford, and Nigerian-Englishman Samson Dauda. What was not so easily predictable was just how close it appeared. As the judges put the trio through the eight mandatory poses three times, each bodybuilder was placed in the coveted center position. And in pose after pose, a different member of the trio made his case for the title.
Front double biceps: Lunsford. Side chest: Dauda. Abs and thigh: Choopan. Side triceps: three-way tie. Front lat spread: Dauda. Rear double biceps: Lunsford and Choopan. Most muscular: Choopan and Dauda. Rear lat spread: three-way tie. All in all, it felt too close to call.
And yet in pose after pose the 5’11”, 305-pound Dauda exerted his one clear advantage, height, over the two 5’7″ champs, drawing eyes to a more aesthetic package, the sort many have been clamoring for. Who would win out? The scorecard later revealed that Hadi Choopan and Samson Dauda were tied for first after prejudging. You can’t get any closer than tied. So, the contest would be decided the next day at Saturday’s finals.
2024 MR. OLYMPIA FINALS
The big surprise of the Saturday finals was that Martin Fitzwater, the Olympia rookie phenom, joined the top three in a four-man final callout. It’s interesting to see the rapid turnover from just a few years ago, with Brandon Curry (turning 42 in a week) and William Bonac (42) no longer in the hunt, 2020-21 champ Big Ramy (40) not even in Las Vegas this weekend, and Dauda, Fitzwater, and Lunsford (none of whom were in the 2021 Mr. Olympia) all contending for bodybuilding’s ultimate prize.
Fitzwater’s move up was clearly disappointing to Andrew Jacked, who was fifth (behind Curry) last year. Jacked wanted to be in the last callout, not the next-to-last one. He has an archetypical 6’2″ X-frame. But he still needs to fill out furtherz. Was he market corrected by the other Nigerian-born, tall juggernaut, Dauda? (After trailing him after prejudging, Jacked ultimately beat Hunter Labrada by a single point to edge into fifth place, the closest decision in the contest.)
Hadi Choopan and Samson Dauda both looked sharper than they did the night before, and as Saturday’s final four-man callout progressed with both Choopan and Dauda delt-by-delt in the center, it was clear the judges had narrowed the three-man clash of prejudging to a two-man duel. Reigning champ Derek Lunsford was the odd man out, meaning we would again have a new Mr. O. This used to be rare but is now the norm. In the eight Mr. Olympia contests since Phil Heath’s last win in 2017, only one man, Ramy, has repeated as champ.
After the excitement of Chris Bumstead winning his sixth Mr. Olympia Classic Physique and announcing his retirement, and after the top 10 posed down, it was time for the grand finale: the Mr. Olympia placings. Only the top five were announced then; and when the top two, Choopan and Dauda, stood at center stage, Olympia owner Jake Wood proclaimed that the second place money was being increased from $150,000 last year to $250,000 this year, and first place was going up 50% from $400,000 last year to a whopping $600,000 this year. Talk about inflation! (This keeps the Mr. Olympia ahead of the Arnold Classic, which is set to have a $500,000 top prize next March.)
Emcee Bob Cicherillo drew out the announcement as always, touting the $600,000 check, and the gold medal, and the Sandow trophy that should be taken to…”AND NEW…” Pause. Wait, but wouldn’t both men be new because Lunsford won last year? Yes, but this was truly a new champ. “SAMSON DAUDA!” He won the finals by three points, breaking the prejudging tie with Hadi Choopan. Upon hearing only just his first name, Samson Dauda, the 19th Mr. Olympia in the contest’s 60 year history, and the second English winner (after Dorian Yates) and the first born in Africa, hit the stage, like Ronnie Coleman used to do.
Bodybuilding has a new king!
2024 MR. OLYMPIA RESULTS
October 11-12, 2024 / Resorts World Theatre / Las Vegas, Nevada
1. Samson Dauda ($600,000)
2. Hadi Choopan ($250,000)
3. Derek Lunsford ($100,000)
4. Martin Fitzwater ($40,000)
5. Chinedu “Andrew Jacked” Obiekea ($35,000)
6. Hunter Labrada ($25,000)
7. William Bonac ($16,000)
8. Rafael Brandao ($14,000)
9. Brandon Curry ($12,000)
10. Akim Williams ($10,000)
11. John Jewett ($2000)
12. Jonathan De La Rosa ($2000)
13. Bruno Santos ($2000)
14. Mohamed Foda ($2000)
15. Theo Leguerrier ($2000)
2024 MR. OLYMPIA SCORECARD
