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Despite a field that included three former Mr. Olympia champions Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, and Brandon Cutler, it was the Nigerian-born Samson Dauda who heard his name called as the 2024 winner Saturday night in Las Vegas.
It was the third year in a row with a new champion, a rarity in a Mr. Olympia contest defined by dominance from larger-than-life competitors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, Lee Haney, and Phil Heath, among others.
How much did Dauda pocket as a result of his legacy-defining victory?
As it turns out, more than any other winner in event history, thanks to a record $1.6 million pot.
- Samson Dauda ($600,000)
- Hadi Choopan ($250,000)
- Derek Lunsford ($100,000)
- Martin Fitzwater ($40,000)
- Andrew Jacked ($35,000)
For the second consecutive year, Dauda, Choopan, and Lunsford made up the top three of the open bodybuilding portion of the Mr. Olympia event.
Lunsford finished first in 2023, with Choopan and Dauda as runners-up.
This year, the same three made up the top third of the competition, with Dauda building on the momentum of his third-place finish and showing up in the best condition of his decade-long career.
He needed to be, too, as Choopan has been the most consistently excellent bodybuilder for the last five years, routinely finishing in the top four of his category.
Lunsford’s third-place finish this year would be considered a major dropoff for the defending champion. The quality of competition he faced, even into Fitzwater and Jacked in the fourth and fifth spots, makes it a little more palatable than it otherwise may have been.
It will not be easy for Dauda to repeat as champion. He has put in the work to get to the pinnacle but now, he will have to retain that work ethic to fend off the vast and fierce competition who will look to dethrone him in 2025.
