The 2024 Mr. Olympia results shook the foundation of the Men’s Open division. In a recent video shared via YouTube on October 23, 2024, Lee Priest discussed Samson Dauda’s career-defining triumph and explained why he thought Martin Fitzwater should have taken third place instead of Derek Lunsford.
Las Vegas, Nevada delivered another legendary Mr. Olympia contest with ‘The Nigerian Lion’ claiming gold to take home his maiden Mr. Olympia title. He defeated runner-up Hadi Choopan and third-place finisher Derek Lunsford on stage. In the aftermath, Lunsford admitted the outcome was a major shock.
Meanwhile, Martin Fitzwater left Sin City as a breakout star, taking fourth place in his debut on the prestigious stage. He presented stellar conditioning, especially his lower body. This has some in the sport, including Lee Priest, thinking he deserved a higher placement.
Lee Priest Says ‘Complete’ Samson Dauda Deserved 2024 Mr. Olympia Win, Thought Martin Fitzwater Beat Derek Lunsford
Priest first emphasized that Dauda achieved his shocking victory with the help of his wife rather than a guru.
“This is why I have said many times, you do not need fucking gurus as long as you have a supportive partner,” adds Priest. “Samson knows how to train, what foods to eat, Samson knows what supplements to take. You don’t need a fucking guru for that.”
Priest argues that elite competitors like Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, Samson Dauda, and Chris Bumstead—who are in the ‘top one percent of genetics in the world’—don’t need gurus as long as their mindsets are strong.
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“Whether it be Derek, Hadi, Samson, Classic Chris Bumstead, anybody, you don’t need a fucking guru. You’ve got the top one percent of genetics in the world. It just goes to show if you have it up here and you’re in a right frame of mind, you can do anything.”
Priest believes Dauda was the rightful winner and was able to override Hadi Choopan’s strengths with better shape, symmetry, and proportions.
“I thought Hadi could have been a little bit harder but then hardness doesn’t win it all. Samson was still hard enough and had more better shape and symmetry and proportions to override Hadi’s,” said Priest. “Yeah as complete [I would have picked Samson Dauda to win].”
“If Samson had been a bit softer, then Hadi would have won but Samson’s conditioning was good enough to still give it to him over Hadi.”
According to Priest, Fitzwater deserved third over Derek Lunsford thanks to his size, symmetry, and conditioning.
“I liked Martin, I thought Martin looked a bit better than Derek because Derek’s upper body grew but his legs were a bit down which sort of threw it off. He’s put so much size on his back, now if Derek can bring his legs up to match the upper body now and come in next year like he did when he won it, he could have a shot at winning it again.”
“Yeah [I thought Martin Fitzwater should have beat Derek] because I thought Martin’s overall size, symmetry, and condition was better than Derek’s,” says Priest.
Jay Cutler has also discussed Derek Lunsford’s sudden fall from grace. He believes Lunsford missed his peak at the 2024 Mr. Olympia. Moreover, he suggested Lunsford and Hadi Choopan sit out of the upcoming 2025 Arnold Classic, which Samson Dauda has already committed to.
Lee Priest contends that Samson Dauda’s victory on the Mr. Olympia stage is evidence that top-caliber IFBB Pros do not need coaches or gurus to assist them with preparations. While he thought Fitzwater deserved the nod over Lunsford, he does believe the former two-division Olympia winner can win back his title in the future.
Watch the full video from the IFBB AMA YouTube channel below:
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