The 2024 Mr. Olympia Weekend was full of shock and awe, with a new champion emerging in the Men’s Open division. In a recent Olympia TV interview shared on October 16, 2024, bodybuilding legend Lee Haney discussed Derek Lunsford’s third-place finish and advised Samson Dauda to avoid putting on more size if wants to win multiple Mr. Olympia titles.
If anyone is qualified to break down the Men’s Open Mr. Olympia contest it’s Lee Haney. During the 1980s, Haney dominated in the IFBB Pro League, becoming the first athlete to amass eight Olympia titles. As a result of Samson Dauda’s shocking victory at the event’s 60th anniversary, questions have arisen about his ability to retain the title in the future.
The bodybuilding community is also unpacking Derek Lunsford‘s performance. Already, retired Pros Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, and Chris Cormier have indicated that Lunsford wasn’t the ‘same guy’ on the marquee stage. Moreover, they have suggested that the 2023 Mr. Olympia winner’s legs were downsized compared to previous packages.
To shed light on the results of this competition, Lee Haney joined a panel of bodybuilding stars. He provided his thoughts on the top finishers and laid out how Dauda can continue his reign and become a multi-time Mr. Olympia champion.
Lee Haney Talks 2024 Mr. Olympia Open Results, Advises Samson Dauda to Not Worry About Size: ‘You Don’t Need That’
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Haney believes it takes longer for taller competitors like Samson Dauda to develop their physiques whereas shorter bodybuilders who add size ‘take on a different look.’
“His height, the other thing is his proportion because when the guys are carrying 300 pounds and everything fits and flows properly, that’s a tough force to reckon with.
Where a lot of the guys are a lot shorter and adding a lot of size to them, it just takes on a different kind of a look. I’m not knocking one and uplifting another, but it’s harder for a taller guy to develop. Samson did a heck of a job doing that.”
If Dauda wants to win multiple Mr. Olympia titles, Haney believes he should no longer focus on acquiring size.
“Don’t focus on putting on any more size period. You don’t need that. If he starts to use real real heavy weight he’ll turn into something that’s not pretty.
His legs are right at the point of okay, that’s enough mass building. Let’s create more muscle maturity, let’s get the lines in there and I see that for his entire physique. I strongly feel Samson can get better.”
Cicherillo also discussed Dauda’s path to winning multiple Mr. Olympia titles. While he doesn’t think this era will witness someone win eight Sandows, he mentioned that Dauda could become a four-time champion in the future.
“You don’t have to put on more muscle, you need refinement if there’s a critique, I’d say he still has room to be a little bit more conditioned. If this guy can do that then you might see a multi-time Olympia champion.
Now, he can get three or four, I think the days of the Phil Heaths and the Lee Haneys and the Ronnie Colemans are over. I don’t think in our lifetime we’ll see another eight time or somebody break that record, I just don’t think we’ll see it. But Samson has all the tools to be a two-time, three-time, maybe a four-time Mr. Olympia champ if he keeps his wife as his trainer and calls Lee Haney and gets some critique,” shares Bob Cicherillo.
According to Haney, Lunsford must redefine his physique if he wants to achieve redemption on the sport’s greatest stage.
“He has to focus on redefining his physique period. When he went from 212 all the way up to heavyweight, look at how much weight he put on in one year. Again, I’m looking at the total package of the physique, how everything should fit, and how everything should flow.”
He believes Lunsford adding weight since moving from the 212 might have worked against him.
“When you put on 20 pounds in one year, okay…please. That’s not going to be in the right place. It’s not going to happen, particularly in a young physique,” adds Haney.
He complimented Jacked’s beautiful physique but thought he came into the Olympia softer.
“Jacked got a beautiful physique. I love it. Andrew, you’ve got a beautiful physique. Flows very well. He didn’t peak properly. He was a little bit soft and that’s what I recognized at the Olympia. Then, I think they screwed up his posing music up.”
“What I saw, even in his presentation, I saw okay, why is he not pouring his heart into this presentation? When you have the heart of a lion, you don’t give a heck about the music. You go and pose your butt off, this is my moment. I saw a lack of confidence when I saw that,” Haney explained.
Unlike Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford, who only competed in the Mr. Olympia as champions of the prestigious contest, Samson Dauda has no plans of being a one-show bodybuilder. He already announced his entry for the upcoming 2025 Arnold Classic, where a massive $500,000 payday will be on the line.
The Men’s Open class has never been more exciting. Considering Dauda’s mass, aesthetics, and shape, Haney is convinced with calculated training, he can not only improve but claim multiple Mr. Olympia titles.
Watch the full video from the Olympia TV YouTube channel below:
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