"Before you know it, five years gone" - Samson Dauda plans to compete in as many shows as he can besides the Olympia
Over the last two years, Samson Dauda has risen to become a top-tier athlete in the sport of bodybuilding. His top-10 finish at the Olympia last year propelled him to become a serious competitor in shows this year.
Samson exceeded expectations in 2023 beginning his year with a win over Nick Walker and Big Ramy to claim the Arnold Classic title. The win has put him on the radar as a front-runner to topple Hadi Choopan's reign as Mr. Olympia. On a recent episode of The Menace podcast, Samson Dauda clarified that he will attempt to compete in as many shows as possible despite Olympia being his top priority.
"I’m going to keep competing. I’m sorry, I saw a lot of people still think that once you’re in the Olympia that that’s it, you just do the Olympia… I love bodybuilding. I love competing. And the idea, of me just saying, ‘Okay, my career then becomes just one show a year.’ And before you know it, five years gone, three years gone – and you’ve only did five shows. It feels like – not a waste, but it feels like a very short-lived career in the aspect of you really didn’t do much in that time."
Earlier this year, many top bodybuilders decided to opt out of the Arnold Classic to focus on the 2023 Olympia set to take place in November. The list includes big names such as Derek Lunsford, Chris Bumstead, and Brandon Curry.
Dauda wants to ensure he takes the stage as many times as he can before he has to hang up his boots. He reiterated that he will be back to defend his Arnold Classic title despite the results of the 2023 Olympia.
"Don’t worry, even if I win the Olympia. I’m coming back. Yeah, they did, we was laughing, they were like, ‘Oh, we don’t want to wish you too much luck at the Olympia because in case you win it, we want you back at the Arnold,’ I’m like, don’t worry man I’ll be back don’t worry about that."
"I want to make history" - Samson Dauda on making memories in different shows
The reason why many Olympia winners and contestants remain solely focused on the show is because they want to make consistent improvements in the one year between shows. However, Dauda sees it a little differently. He wishes to compete and retire with a hoard of memories.
"I understand why some guys do that and they don’t want to compete and they just want to do the Olympia. But for me, I don’t get a long time doing this, so I want to make history. I want to be able to do this and have so many memories of me competing as much as I can."
Samson Dauda also views every show as an opportunity to improve on stage. According to Dauda, he learns as he competes.
"Yeah, you learn a lot from doing all of the shows ... Having the opportunity to compete again so close, gives you the chance to look at what you missed and what we can do better so we can learn from that."
Samson Dauda is heading to the 2023 Mr. Olympia as a favorite alongside Derek Lunsford. However, the bodybuilders will be met by Iranian giant Hadi Choopan.