Samson Dauda is making a huge gamble ahead of his third appearance at the Mr. Olympia. Taking to the latest Bro Chat Podcast shared on September 24, 2024, Dauda discussed his surprise entry into this weekend’s 2024 Tsunami Nutrition Showdown in France, where he’ll aim to secure an early qualification for the 2025 Mr. Olympia. He revealed the pros and cons behind the decision as well as how it could affect his chances on the sport’s greatest stage.
With just under three weeks until bodybuilding’s biggest event, most athletes are focusing on preparing for the 2024 Mr. Olympia stage. However, Samson Dauda, for better or for worse, is betting on himself and competing at the Tsunami Nutrition Showdown in France this weekend.
Dauda’s decision to compete this close to the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding could benefit him for several reasons, one being that Dauda has an opportunity at a test run, which will allow him to dial in his physique. As a result, this would give him an edge before facing off against his fellow Men’s Open competitors this October 10-13. Not to mention, assuming he wins, Dauda will secure some extra cash and his qualification for the 2025 Mr. Olympia.
There are risks to competing so close to the 2024 Mr. Olympia, like wearing himself out or putting additional and unnecessary stress on his body due to having to peak twice. While improbable, Samson Dauda also faces the possibility of losing this weekend in France, which would hurt his momentum heading into the Mr. Olympia.
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Samson Dauda Discusses How Competing in France This Weekend Could Impact His 2024 Mr. Olympia Showing
Samson Dauda recently sat down to discuss his decision to enter the 2024 Tsunami Nutrition Showdown on September 28 and revealed the pros and cons that could directly impact how he performs at the Mr. Olympia. Check out what he has to say below.
According to ‘The Nigerian Lion,’ he made the decision to enter the nearing Tsunami Nutrition Showdown six or seven weeks out from the Olympia.
“We were about six or seven weeks out [from Olympia] and we got into prep and we saw automatically how well it was going and everything else. It was just like okay, I saw the British one was three or four weeks out of the Olympia and I’m just it’s too big I’m not going to do that.”
Considering how well Dauda was doing throughout prep, he wanted to test himself before the Olympia.
“Then, later on, we were going through it, and Mel popped up and she was like I’m not putting it out there but there’s a show two weeks in France before the Olympia and I was like huh France. She was just saying that. I was like France, Olympia two weeks, hmm…I’m going to do it. And she’s like No!”
Having been around the sport for years, Dauda believes it’s important for his growth to identify all of his weaknesses.
“It takes a lot of experience, time, and a lot of things for me to know, one thing for me I’ve always been good at myself is to look and take stock and to know my weaknesses and know things I’m good at and things I’m flawed at and I know when it comes to prep, especially the later weeks of it, I cannot trust my thinking I just can’t.”
“I always refer to the coach and say right. I gotta give whatever, whatever I’m hearing in my head, I already know that it’s not accurate,” adds Dauda about his preps. “There’s always that prep brain thing going on.”
He also laid out some of the drawbacks of competing this weekend in France. Most notably, he says peaking twice for a bodybuilding contest is one of his top concerns.
“We went through it and go look, we couldn’t find many [drawbacks]. We couldn’t find enough to be like okay this is a bad idea.”
“One of the cons is how would your body react prepping twice. We were trying to peak twice. So we were okay, we always know with you you always look better the second time around. You always look better the second time around.”
As for pros, Dauda believes traveling by car will benefit him, and having a test run in France might give him the edge when it’s time to square off against the best in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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“Even though we’ve missed the mark on our first time, we can learn from that and get a lot of details from that and be better off for the second time around.”
“What about the travel? Okay, France, the show is six and a half hours drive from my house,” explains Dauda. “I’m going to drive it. Six and a half hour drive from my house.”
He claims negative attention on social media to be the biggest hurdle in making the decision to compete.
“Social media was literally the biggest one,” shares Dauda. “Now it’s almost like okay, we are like you said, it’s something that’s not done and every single time we try to step out of the mark, look we’re not going to follow the status quo. I didn’t get here by following the status quo.”
While many believe this showing could give Samson Dauda an advantage at the 2024 Mr. Olympia, the Open Bodybuilding star doesn’t see it that way.
“This idea of building momentum into a show I think it’s absolute rubbish man. it doesn’t work that way. I really don’t think it [does].
Look, you can look absolutely amazing, but you haven’t stood next to the top guys yet. You can look amazing by yourself standing next to some guys. Some guys can look big on stage standing next to a few other Pros, you come stand next to me on stage and all of a sudden it’s like whoa.”
Given how shredded Samson Dauda looked in his latest physique update, it’s a safe bet to predict he will pull out the win this weekend. In doing so, though, does Dauda risk his standing at the 2024 Mr. Olympia? Or, will he be setting himself up for success with newfound momentum?
The Men’s Open lineup is filled to the brim with highly competitive athletes who will be bringing their A-game to bodybuilding’s biggest stage in less than three weeks. Among them will be current Mr. Olympia champion Derek Lunsford, who has already cemented himself as a legend after becoming a two-division titleholder last year.
There is also the former 2022 Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan, who, as we all saw on the Arnold Classic Ohio and UK stages, won’t be leaving anything to chance. Choopan is hungry for redemption and you can be sure the ‘Persian Wolf’ will take a bite out of anyone who dares to venture too close to gold.
Nick Walker has plans to snatch the victory after being sidelined due to a hamstring and calf tear just days before the 2023 Mr. Olympia. While some have speculated after his display at the 2024 New York Pro that he won’t be able to beat Lunsford and Choopan, Walker is confident this will be the year he triumphs on the Olympia stage.
Now let’s not forget that there is always the dark horse and this year the honor goes to Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea. After his incredible performance on the 2024 Texas Pro stage, fans need to keep a close on him when it comes time to go head-to-head with the best of the Men’s Open. Andrew Jacked has the potential to steal the show making for an upset of the ages.
Only time will tell how it will all go down in the Men’s Open division on the Mr. Olympia stage. Fans can look forward to what promises to be the most exciting event to date as Dauda aims to acquire massive momentum before the Mr. Olympia.
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