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by Christian Duque
2024 Arnold Classic runner-up Samson Dauda went public today announcing that his body was shutting down and that he’d been trying to work through it but no longer could. In a post for Instagram, Dauda stated that his health was his top priority and he couldn’t ignore it anymore. Ironically, an official statement from the judges cited his losing the title to Choopan being that he wasn’t conditioned enough. I guess if he’d just pushed it a bit more maybe he would’ve died but at least he would’ve won, right? Samson stated that depending on the results of tests run at the hospital today that he would decide whether or not he’ll be competing at the upcoming 2024 Arnold Classic UK. That show is just 10 days away.
As you guys know I don’t often agree with the most popular YouTuber in bodybuilding, Nick’s Strength & Power, very often but on this particular occasion I couldn’t agree more. Nick was the first to break the story so to speak. I mean Samson posted it so it’s not like he was trying to keep it a secret. Unlike Nick, I have a full-time job that’s not in bodybuilding. Miller and other full-time media people can keep tabs on all the big names in the sport’s socials and post reactions in minutes. I cannot. That’s their job; however, this article for IronMagazine will hopefully get published maybe an hour or two after the fact on the day in question. Not bad, right?
Before I delve deeper, I’d like to say that I appreciate the great work NS&P does. Even though he’s blocked me for whatever reason, I do appreciate his journalistic contributions. And to reiterate it yet again I agree wholeheartedly with his reporting on this story and I’ll gladly expound.
While Samson should get major kudos for transparency and for going on his own to the hospital, he didn’t give us any idea what’s going on. He did say tests would be run and that based on those results is what would determine his future competition plans. Could he be checking his renal function? Could he have heart-related issues? What could possibly be so serious and so apparent that quick tests could be run and results be had in enough time as to where competing in just 10 days could be within the realm of possibility? And what if Samson takes Tyler Manion’s feedback to heart and brings even more conditioning to the Arnold UK after today’s comments of feeling like his body was shutting down?
Now of course NS&P didn’t tie in the potential health risks of Tyler’s feedback urging Samson to come in harder with today’s health scare. And that’s no coincidence. I like Tyler and obviously he was just giving honest feedback. He had no way of knowing about Dauda’s health, much less his health scare today, but Nick did and Nick stayed quiet.
It’s not a choice. If he did what I’m doing now he’d get a phone call. And mind you I’m stressing the innocence of the feedback, but given what we know now, even if Samson gets a clear bill of health – should he go into the Arnold UK where Hadi may be competing with a rematch in mind?
Samson is damn near 6’ tall and 300lbs. For him to compete with a midget, former 212’er in conditioning in just under 10 days means he might have to hit the diuretics hard. Oh that’s right… bodybuilders don’t use them, right? I forget they only eat asparagus. Lol.
Seriously though this could be the preview to another Dallas McCarver (RIP) collapsing backstage or Paul Dillett getting carried off the stage like a mannequin. Whether Samson’s healthy or not per a batch of tests, I agree with NS&P that he should not compete at the Arnold UK.
I’m not saying punish any athlete by not letting them compete because they had the good sense to get themselves checked out and being honest to the fans. That being said, for a guy at this level to confess that he felt like his body has been gradually deteriorating and that ultimately he felt like it was shutting down is nothing that a few tests over the course of a day or two at a hospital can figure out.
I’m no doctor and I have zero medical training but to me it comes down to common sense. If this guy flies, tries to peak again, and tries to come in at a conditioning level hard enough to defeat Hadi Choopan, things may go south and quickly.
And from a legal standpoint where does that leave The Arnold UK, Arnold as a promoter, and IFBB Pro League? I’m just a lawyer. I’m sure they’ve probably already thought about issues such as potential liability and the PR shit storm this would cause if anything happened to this internationally-known bodybuilding superstar.
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