The Nigerian Lion keeps building momentum heading into 2024.
Although he came up short in his quest to win the 2023 Mr. Olympia, it’s taken less than 10 days for Samson Dauda to add two more titles to his blossoming bodybuilding resume.
Coming off a first-place finish at the 2023 Romania Muscle Fest Pro, the Nigerian Lion looked fantastic in yet another dominant performance from across the pond. After capturing top honors in the Men’s Open division in Romania on Nov. 12, 2023, Dauda stood atop the podium again at the 2023 EVLS Prague Pro, securing an IFBB Pro League show victory and a $10,000 check for the second straight weekend.
2023 EVLS Prague Pro Division-by-Division Results
The 2023 EVLS Prague Pro featured athletes from six divisions competing for a coveted championship, first-place prize money, and automatic qualification for the 2024 Olympia. Here are the final results based on the official scorecards made available by the IFBB Pro League.
Men’s Open
Between placing third at the 2023 Olympia and beating out defending Romania Muscle Fest Pro champion Behrooz Tabanai Abarghani for the 2023 title, Samson Dauda had all the momentum heading into the EVLS Prague Pro. However, he faced some stiff competition in the form of Michal “Krizo” Krizanek, who took home top honors at the 2022 show.
Ultimately, though, Dauda’s muscular frame and tighter look helped him fend off an impressive field that also included Rubiel Mosquera and Nathan De Asha, who finished third and fourth, respectively, behind the Columbian native.
- Samson Dauda (United Kingdom)
- Michal Krizanek (Slovakia)
- Rubiel Mosquera (Columbia)
- Nathan De Asha (United Kingdom)
- Jan Turek (Czech Republic)
- Liang Yan (China)
- Roman Fritz (Germany)
- Rob Cannon (United Kingdom)
- Hameed Juma (Bahrain)
- Pavel Beran (Czech Republic)
212 Bodybuilding
Just like Dauda, Ahmad Ali Ashkanani followed up a solid showing at the Olympia with a win in Romania. And just like the Nigerian Lion, the Kuwait native finished first in his division for the second consecutive weekend.
Once again, Ashkanani earned the nod over Italy’s Giuseppe Zagarella, who also settled for second at the 2023 Romania Muscle Fest Pro.
- Ahmad Ali Ashkanani (Kuwait)
- Giuseppe Zagarella (Italy)
- Lucas Goncalez (Brazil)
- Dawid Cnota (Poland)
- Giorgi Adikashvili (Georgia)
- Daniel Vasilica (Romania)
- Damian Kryszpin (Poland)
- Vincent Alliot (France)
[Related: Iain Valliere Believes the 212 Division Should No Longer Exist in Bodybuilding]
Classic Physique
The clash for the Classic Physique division title in Prague came down to two competitors who performed well at the 2023 Olympia. Urs Kalecinski, who finished third at the Olympia before winning the 2023 Texas State Pro on Nov. 11, 2023, went toe-to-toe with Michael Daboul, who placed sixth at the Olympia.
Despite a strong showing from Daboul, “The Miracle Bear” emerged victorious, further cementing his status as one of the best Classic Physique competitors in the world.
- Urs Kalecinski (Germany)
- Michael Daboul (United Kingdom)
- Alexander Westermeier (Germany)
- Sebastien Theurel (France)
- Karol Rogaczewski (Poland)
- Jordi Romero Marsal (Spain)
- Ruben Lopez Reyes (Spain)
- German Pastor (Spain)
- George Acheampong (Denmark)
- Matthias Hollweck (Germany)
- Manuel Moisel (Germany)
- Karar Aljalabi (Belgium)
- Tunde Chris Taylor (Germany)
- Sebastian Guncik (Czech Republic)
- Ali Khan (Afghanistan)
- Alberto Milani (Italy)
- Fernando Gornals Margol (Spain)
[Related: Chris Bumstead Claims Fifth Consecutive Classic Physique Championship at 2023 Mr. Olympia]
Men’s Physique
In another example of why momentum matters, Miroslav Juricek joined Samson Dauda and Ahmad Ali Ashkanani in winning the Romania Muscle Fest Pro and the EVLS Prague Pro. Both he and fellow Czech Republic native Ondrej Kmostake represented their country well by claiming the top two spots in the Men’s Physique Division.
- Miroslav Juricek (Czech Republic)
- Ondrej Kmostak (Czech Republic)
- Furkan Er (Turkey)
- Adeyemi Awoyani (United Kingdom)
- Andrea Amato (Italy)
- Dawid Wachelka (Poland)
- Dylan Crane (France)
- Jeffrey Darko (United Kingdom)
- Viachaslau Tarasevich (Belarus)
- Mohammad Almutawah (Kuwait)
- Alessandro Cavagnola (Italy)
- Panek Alexandru (Romania)
- Ramzi Boubaker (Germany)
- Oskar Tchorzewski (Poland)
- Aryan Ali (Germany)
[Related: The Ultimate Chest and Back Workout for Upper Body Muscle]
Figure
It was another rinse-and-repeat situation with the Figure division, as Romania Muscle Fest Pro winner Tereza Linhartova locked up her second title in as many weeks. While Spain’s Rejoice Godwin claimed third in her second straight show, Romania’s Stefana Sandu went from finishing in second to falling to fourth, as USA’s Maria Luisa Diaz earned the No. 2 spot in Prague.
- Tereza Linhartova (Czech Republic)
- Maria Luisa Diaz (USA)
- Rejoice Godwin (Spain)
- Stefana Sandu (Romania)
- Behnaz Nasrollahi Azar (Germany)
- Zulfya Bitiyeva (Kazakhstan)
- Kamara Graham (United Kingdom)
- Karine Hajjar (Qatar)
- Tamires Silva (Brazil)
- Sonja Ivanov (Germany)
- Anna Kohckar (Ukraine)
- Natalia Sharapova (Russia)
- Gabriela Linhartova (Czech Republic)
- Vanessa Happle (Germany)
- Gabriela Hejna (Czech Republic)
- Alina Yaman (UKR)
[Related: Superset-Style Upper Body Resistance Band Workout for Muscle Gains]
Bikini
The battle for the Bikini division title turned out differently in Prague than it did in Romania. After earning the title the weekend prior, Italy’s Alice Marchisio fell to third, as Romania Muscle Fest Pro runner-up Valerya Fedorenko stormed ahead to claim the win and a $10,000 prize.
Fellow Ukrainian Violeta Palamarchuk also enjoyed a successful showing, vaulting up from eighth at the Romania Muscle Fest Pro to second at the EVLS Prague Pro.
- Valerya Fedorenko (Ukraine)
- Violeta Palamarchuk (Ukraine)
- Alice Marchisio (Italy)
- Dorottya Zoe Toth (Hungary)
- Renata Nowak (Poland)
- Sara Punzetti (Italy)
- Lisa Reith (Germany)
- Sara Lujza Rogacsi (Hungary)
- Olivia Pohankova Kovac (Slovakia)
- Petra Voldanova (United Kingdom)
- Andrina Scharli (Switzerland)
- Mara Carro
- Ka’Tai Luca (Hungary)
- Johanna Durr (Germany)
- Irene Iravedra Cunarro (Spain)
[Related: Everything You Need to Know About How to Burn Fat]
Overall, Samson Dauda deserves major credit for continuing to compete after putting everything on the line at the 2023 Mr. Olympia. While he could have easily rested on his laurels and been satisfied with a third-place finish at the biggest bodybuilding show of the year, he’s done the exact opposite.
So, even though the Nigerian Lion didn’t leave Orlando, FL, with a $400,000 prize and the most coveted title in the sport, he’s certainly made the most of his trip to Europe by taking home titles in back-to-back contests.
Featured Image: Samson Dauda / Instagram
