Hadi Choopan is back on top of the bodybuilding world after he defeated defending Arnold Classic champion, Samson Dauda at the 2024 Arnold Classic.
Going into the show, there was a lot of hype by the media for these two bodybuilders, with many predicting that Samson will defeat Hadi, since he is the bigger bodybuilder.
The judges did a fantastic job at the 2024 Arnold Classic, picking the most conditioned and balanced athlete over the bigger and fuller athletes.
We can expect several debates after the event about the decision to award the title to Hadi over Samson, but Evolutionofbodybuilding believes that the judges got it right.
Hadi is known for his granite condition, since he used to compete as an amateur at the IFBB World Championships. As Hadi grew into the pro ranks, he gained a lot of size, but kept his trademark condition, which earned him the 2022 Mr. Olympia title, and the the 2024 Arnold Classic title.
During the event, Hadi was always standing next to Samson, it was clear that he had the edge over the defending champion when it came to condition.
During the last 10 years, size always beat the more conditioned smaller bodybuilder, but at the 2024 Arnold Classic, the Men’s Classic Physique, and Men’s Open Bodybuilding title went to the more conditioned athlete.
The runner-up, Samson Dauda will have another chance to get his revenge at the Arnold UK in just a few weeks. But the victory that Samson wanted was the Arnold Classic USA.
What more does Samson have to do? He needs to get back to the dungeon and carve his body to achieve the condition that might win him the Mr. Olympia title.
Rafael Brandao had to settle for third place. But Brazillian brought back the beautiful physique that we have not seen for several years. Rafael added more size and looked fantastic. He deserved to be in the top three.
2024 Arnold Classic Results
- Winner — Hadi Choopan
- Second Place — Samson Dauda
- Third Place — Rafael Brandao
- Fourth Place — Jonathan Delarosa
- Fifth Place — James Hollingshead
- Sixth Place — Akim Williams
- Seventh Place — Antoine Vaillant
- Eighth Place — Justin Rodriguez
- Ninth Place — Horse Marcello De Angelis
- Tenth Place — Mohamed Shaaban Elimababi
Best Poser Award
Samson Dauda wins the Arnold Classic Physique best poser award.
- Ed Corney Best Poser Award: Samson Dauda ($10,000)
Most Muscular Award
Hadi Choopan wins the Franco Columbu Most Muscular Award!
- Most Muscular Award: Hadi Choopan ($10,000)
Photos of Hadi Choopan by Gilco Productions
