The highly anticipated 60th anniversary of the Mr. Olympia is in the history books. In a recent YouTube video posted on October 13, 2024, Derek Lunsford discussed how he’s feeling after taking third and dropping his title to Samson Dauda.
Derek Lunsford has come a long way within the sport, initially establishing himself as the 212 Olympia champion in 2021. In 2022, after guest posing at the Pittsburgh Pro, Lunsford received a special invitation to compete in the Men’s Open.
Lunsford wasted no time hitting the 2022 Mr. Olympia Men’s Open stage, where he placed second to teammate Hadi Choopan. However, it didn’t take long for Derek Lunsford to improve his physique, and by 2023, he emerged victorious, becoming the first-ever two-division Mr. Olympia champion.
Emotional Derek Lunsford ‘In Shock’ After 2024 Mr. Olympia Loss, Says He’s Happy for Samson Dauda
This year, Derek Lunsford was determined to defend the title. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for the two-division champion, who lost his crown and placed third behind Samson Dauda and Hadi Choopan. In light of the results, Derek Lunsford shared his thoughts after the event.
“I’m my worse critic, so even last year when I won, I was kind of like, ‘What’s it gonna be? What’s it gonna be?’ and it was the same this time.”
Lunsford revealed that he wasn’t competing for anyone but himself.
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“You know, it’s hard when you spent an entire year, from one show to the next, and you are in the gym training and you are working hard to come back so much improved that you slam the door shut and you really solidify yourself as the champion and it wasn’t to do it for anybody, like that’s like haters so to speak, it was more for me.”
He believed he could come in better than last year and was surprised when he fell into third place instead.
“I knew I could do better from last year to this year and I’ve seen some places where I improved from last year to this year and I’ve seen some places where I improved and stuff but I really wanted to be like wow.
Come out lights out, knock out, like nobody is touching this guy and for it to be even close and then dropping to third, it was just a shock, it’s crazy” Lunsford said.
Despite losing, Lunsford was a good sport and commended his fellow competitors, revealing that he was genuinely happy for Samson Dauda.
“Samson, I am so happy for him. I really am because I know what it, I said this to them on stage to him and his wife, I said ‘This is your moment. I am so happy for you guys.’ I really, genuinely am because I know what it feels like to be the champion and it feels so good and they’re feeling that right now and I’m genuinely am happy for them. I am, even though it sucks for me, you can never take away from somebody else.”
As for what comes next, Lunsford intends on getting straight back to the gym after spending time with his family.
“I’ll be on the cardio tomorrow. I’ll be in the gym for sure. I can’t wait to get in the gym again but I definitely want to be with my wife and daughter.”
Lunsford shared his respect for the athletes who took to the stage with him, acknowledging the sacrifice that they too have put in to get where they are.
“You can’t take away from the athletes. I would like to think they want it just as bad I do, otherwise they wouldn’t have been up there. They sacrifice just like I do, I never wanna take away from them. I am happy for them.
I look at this as more colleagues than competitors because we are helping each other elevate to be our best. I say it all the time, and I say it now, but I genuinely mean that, but we all wanna be the champion but there can only be one champion.”
The Men’s Open division wasn’t the only category to see a shake-up at the 2024 Mr. Olympia. In Wellness, Francielle Mattos was looking to earn her fourth title; however, her competition made that goal challenging. During prejudging, Isabelle Nunes proved herself as a dominant threat to Mattos and, by the end of finals, ultimately took home the victory as the new Wellness Olympia champion.
As for the Bikini division, the title was up for grabs after Jennifer Dorie revealed she wouldn’t be competing this year. As a result, this paved the way for three-time Arnold Classic Bikini champion Lauralie Chapados, who certainly didn’t squander the opportunity. After a stunning display of her shape and aesthetics, Chapados secured the victory as the new Bikini Olympia champion.
While the 2024 Mr. Olympia didn’t end with Derek Lunsford defending his title, he demonstrated his incredible talent and his awe-inspiring sportsmanship. Fans can look forward to seeing how Lunsford improves over the next year and we’ll keep you updated on if he chooses to enter any other bodybuilding contests in the meantime.
To watch the full video, click the link below:
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