Nigerian-born bodybuilder Samson Dauda has finished runner-up in the Men’s Open division at the 2026 Mr. Olympia, narrowly missing out on the prestigious title in Las Vegas.
The competition, held from September 24 to 27, saw Nick Walker claim his first Mr. Olympia crown after edging Dauda by just two points in the final standings.
Walker finished with 18 points, while Dauda recorded 20 points. Under the Mr. Olympia scoring system, the competitor with the lower total score wins.
Dauda entered the final round with ground to make up after Friday’s prejudging. Walker had built a significant advantage at that stage, scoring eight points compared with Dauda’s 15.
The Nigerian-born athlete responded strongly in Saturday’s finals, producing the best score of the round with five points. However, his performance was not enough to overturn Walker’s earlier advantage.
The finals took place at the Orleans Arena on September 26, bringing together some of the world’s leading bodybuilders in the sport’s premier competition.
For Dauda, the result marks another strong showing on bodybuilding’s biggest stage, while Walker’s victory gives him his first Mr. Olympia title.
The narrow margin also underlines just how closely contested the 2026 Men’s Open competition was.
