Reigning Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda keeps raising the bar, prompting Milos Sarcev to question if anyone can dethrone him. In a YouTube video on December 5, 2024, Sarcev emphasized that Dauda hasn’t ‘maxed out’ his physique and explored whether Derek Lunsford or Hadi Choopan could capitalize on any missteps at the next Olympia.
Dauda gambled on his way to the 2024 Mr. Olympia contest. Just weeks before testing himself against the greatest, he entered the Tsunami Pro, where he took first place in a dominant showing. At the biggest event of the year, Dauda showcased an all-time best look, displaying noticeable improvements to his conditioning, especially from the back.
This allowed him to earn gold over Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford. He became the 19th bodybuilder to earn the prestigious Sandow trophy. Building on his commanding performance, Sarcev, Dauda’s former trainer, believes he might be setting the table for a lasting dynasty, casting doubt on whether anyone can dethrone him.
Milos Sarcev Calls Samson Dauda ‘Once-in-a-Life-Time Athlete,’ Doubts Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan Can Regain Olympia Title
Sarcev believes Dauda continues to improve and compared him to former eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman.
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“Samson is a specimen that keeps improving from show to show and it’s scary to think how good he can be,” shares Sarcev. “For the past couple of years already you could see everything and now he’s coming into his own. Somebody compared to Ronnie, yes, very comparable.”
Though, unlike Coleman, Sarcev stressed that Dauda reached the top of the sport with a small waist. Best of all, he doesn’t think ‘The Nigerian Lion’ has ‘maxed out’ his physique.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of athlete, with just freaky genetics, thickness, shape, small waist, contrary to Ronnie, he does have a small waist and he’s still expanding. Think about it, he improved from show to show and he’s not showing that he maxed out either. Some people are kind of maxed out but he keeps improving.”
He adds that it’s ‘going to be impossible to beat him’ unless he slips moving forward.
“It’s going to be impossible to beat him unless again, he slipped up in a shade of conditioning or maybe over-conditioned Hadi can start [to],” he shares. “He has the tools to beat Hadi, always.”
In Sarcev’s opinion, Derek Lunsford went backward at the 2024 Mr. Olympia and doesn’t think he has room to grow anymore or he risks imbalances.
“I think from ’21 to ’22 even in ’23, when he won, ’24 I didn’t see him improved. He actually kind of went down. Bigger is not better. Some parts became bigger, it didn’t translate with a better physique and he’s kind of maxed out.”
“He could put a little bit more legs but to put more legs, you’re risking the waist and your waist is not super thin and you tried to thicken up the quads, it could happen,” said Sarcev.
He acknowledges that Choopan has some powerful poses but implores him to bring up his back, hamstrings, and glutes.
“Some shots are crazy. From the front, things are happening and conditioning is always crazy. Hadi’s conditioning is not crazy from the side view, legs, right?
And from the back view, when they put Dorian Yates and Hadi Choopan comparison, the quality of the back, it’s not even close. We talk about Hadi’s conditioning, where everything else except the back, hamstring, and glutes.”
Although the last two Mr. Olympias Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford took time away from the stage following the biggest wins of their career, that won’t be the case for Dauda. He has made it clear he plans to enter the 2025 Arnold Classic in pursuit of the $500,000 purse reserved for the Open winner. If he pulls off the victory, Dauda will have earned over $1 million in prize earnings in six months.
Dauda is in the driver’s seat as the number one bodybuilder in the world, so toppling him will be no easy feat. Milos Sarcev concluded that Lunsford and Choopan face an uphill battle, with little chance of catching Dauda in the foreseeable future.
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