The Nigerian Lion keeps constructing momentum heading into 2024.
Although he got here up short in his quest to win the 2023 Mr. Olympia, it’s taken lower than 10 days for Samson Dauda so as to add two more titles to his blossoming bodybuilding resume.
Coming off a first-place finish on the 2023 Romania Muscle Fest Pro, the Nigerian Lion looked incredible in yet one more dominant performance from across the pond. After capturing top honors within the Men’s Open division in Romania on Nov. 12, 2023, Dauda stood atop the rostrum again on the 2023 EVLS Prague Pro, securing an IFBB Pro League show victory and a $10,000 check for the second straight weekend.
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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. Listed below are the ultimate results based on the official scorecards made available by the IFBB Pro League.
Men’s Open
Between placing third on the 2023 Olympia and beating out defending Romania Muscle Fest Pro champion Behrooz Tabanai Abarghani for the 2023 title, Samson Dauda had all of the momentum heading into the EVLS Prague Pro. Nevertheless, he faced some stiff competition in the shape of Michal “Krizo” Krizanek, who took home top honors on the 2022 show.
Ultimately, though, Dauda’s muscular frame and tighter look helped him fend off a formidable 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
Identical to Dauda, Ahmad Ali Ashkanani followed up a solid showing on the Olympia with a win in Romania. And identical to the Nigerian Lion, the Kuwait native finished first in his division for the second consecutive weekend.
Once more, Ashkanani earned the nod over Italy’s Giuseppe Zagarella, who also settled for second on 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 got here all the way down to two competitors who performed well on the 2023 Olympia. Urs Kalecinski, who finished third on the Olympia before winning the 2023 Texas State Pro on Nov. 11, 2023, went toe-to-toe with Michael Daboul, who placed sixth on the Olympia.
Despite a robust showing from Daboul, “The Miracle Bear” emerged victorious, further cementing his status as top-of-the-line Classic Physique competitors on this planet.
- 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 one other 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. Each he and fellow Czech Republic native Ondrej Kmostake represented their country well by claiming the highest two spots within 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 one other 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 ending 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 in a different way in Prague than it did in Romania. After earning the title the weekend prior, Italy’s Alice Marchisio fell to 3rd, as Romania Muscle Fest Pro runner-up Valerya Fedorenko stormed ahead to say the win and a $10,000 prize.
Fellow Ukrainian Violeta Palamarchuk also enjoyed a successful showing, vaulting up from eighth on the Romania Muscle Fest Pro to second on 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 every part on the road on the 2023 Mr. Olympia. While he could have easily rested on his laurels and been satisfied with a third-place finish at the most important bodybuilding show of the 12 months, he’s done the precise opposite.
So, although the Nigerian Lion didn’t leave Orlando, FL, with a $400,000 prize and essentially the most coveted title in the game, he’s definitely made essentially the most of his trip to Europe by taking home titles in back-to-back contests.
Featured Image: Samson Dauda / Instagram