Samson Dauda won the 2024 Mr. Olympia contest Saturday night from Resorts World in Las Vegas, the first of his career.
It came at the end of a tense competition that saw the judges perform several callouts before finally feeling confident in their decision to announce a brand-new champion.
Besides the adulation of an entire industry, how much did the victor pocket as a result of his win and what did social media have to say about the outcome?
Dauda completed a long, arduous journey to the pinnacle of bodybuilding Saturday, winning the Mr. Olympia competition and beating out two former champions, Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford, to collect his first title.
The moment he was announced as the victor, he was emotional, dropping to his knees and breaking down in tears before he hoisted the most coveted prize in his sport.
It was a historic feat beyond the first-time win, too.
Dauda's victory ensured that the Mr. Olympic title would return to the United Kingdom for the first time since Dorian Yates' six-year run atop the industry ended in 1997.
Saturday's results marked the second year in a row that 2022 champion Choopan finished in second place. It also meant that the 2023 champion, Lunsford, fell to third place this year.
Dauda was not only the judge's choice for the win but also was named the People's Champion and "received a championship belt and trophy."
After several callouts and great uncertainty as to which competitor would ultimately impress the judges enough to earn their selection as the winner, Dauda emerged victoriously, announcing his arrival at the peak of the bodybuilding world with a win on its grandest stage.