Athletes are readying their physiques for the highly anticipated 2024 Mr. Olympia, prompting bodybuilding veteran Milos Sarcev to assess the show’s frontrunners. In a recent interview with Ron Harris, Sarcev revealed paths to victory against Derek Lunsford for Hadi Choopan and Samson Dauda.
In 2023, Derek Lunsford won the prestigious Mr. Olympia title in only his second Open Pro show. He defeated his teammate Hadi Choopan and third-place finisher Samson Dauda to become the sport’s first two-division Mr. Olympia winner.
For the entirety of the 2024 bodybuilding season, fans and voices of the sport have wondered who might upset the champion in October. Hadi Choopan, who held the throne in 2022, quickly got back into the winner’s circle with decisive wins at the Arnold Classic Ohio and UK contests. Meanwhile, Dauda finished second behind ‘The Persian Wolf’ in both of those events.
With the 2024 Mr. Olympia show approaching in four months, bodybuilding coach Milos Sarcev took a closer look at the lineup. He gave his thoughts on Lunsford, Choopan, and Dauda as they set their sights on gold.
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Milos Sarcev Questions Derek Lunsford’s Upper Body Conditioning, Discusses How Hadi Choopan/Samson Dauda Can Win 2024 Mr. Olympia
Question marks surround Dauda after parting ways with his long-time coach Milos Sarcev. With plans of training at the Oxygen Gym in Kuwait, Sarcev is unsure if the change in scenery will benefit Dauda in the end.
“Everybody’s seeing Samson is improving constantly, continuously, he’s improving now. I’m quite impressed with what he looks like. But Oxygen, that’s like a training camp, right? You go there and maybe you reduce other disruptions. Maybe you know, you have that little extra push.
I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I think it’s quite a good idea. It’s just, can you handle it? I do remember when Regan was telling me when he went there, he couldn’t handle it, you know? It was too much for him. He decided to come back.”
He adds that Lunsford’s 2023 Mr. Olympia victory was far from dominant, sharing that Choopan could have won the show.
“If you remember, prejudging at the Olympia, there was three ways. Some see any of those guys winning. But, then, one guy wins and now it’s ‘Oh, he’s so dominant.’ It’s not! It was so close. Could Derek win his first Olympia in 2022? He was a shocker. Hadi won I think deservedly. Could Hadi have won last year? Of course, it’s not like a cakewalk.”
Sarcev doesn’t think Lunsford is miles above his competition, arguing that Samson Dauda ‘is right there.’
“Now, are those two, Derek and Hadi so much ahead of anybody else? No! Samson is right there. Samson has actually what I think more beauty and wow to his physique. Can Andrew Jacked close in? Yeah, if he puts on more size, yes. Could many other guys? Yes. But then again, is Derek great? Absolutely.”
Due to Lunsford’s lack of conditioning and density in his upper body, Sarcev contends that Choopan can ‘take over’ the 2024 Mr. Olympia stage by capitalizing on these weaknesses.
“Perfect structure, perfect shape [on Derek Lunsford]. Pound for pound, he’s big. Pound for pound, he’s so wide and thick and everything else, it’s like Jesus. Before, legs were kind of light, now his legs look freaky.
It’s very hard to pick him apart. He is not conditioned and dense enough his whole upper body from the front. That’s where Hadi can really shine and take over.”
In addition, Sarcev pointed to Choopan’s strong ab shots, which could present problems for Lunsford in October.
“That ab shot as well,” adds Sarcev.
“Coming into this era, I mentioned this and I’m going to say this one more time: Hadi Choopan could have won all the Olympias he ever entered,” explains Sarcev. “If you think about it, yeah.”
Aside from Milos Sarcev, other bodybuilding veterans have given their candid expectations of the 2024 Mr. Olympia. According to Jay Cutler, a four-time Olympia titleholder, his ‘kings’ of the Men’s Open include Lunsford, Choopan, and Dauda.
Having shaped Dauda into a top-tier competitor, Milos Sarcev is curious how he will fare later this year at the 2024 Mr. Olympia. He believes Lunsford, Choopan, and Dauda are in for a much closer battle than what many are expecting.
Watch the full video from the Ron Harris Muscle YouTube channel below:
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