The 2026 Mr. Olympia weekend reached its biggest stage Friday night in Las Vegas, with six Olympia titles decided and the first major look at the Men’s Open competitors who will battle for the Sandow Trophy Saturday night. The event is taking place at the Orleans Arena as part of the 62nd Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend, which features more than 300 athletes across 12 divisions.
Friday was packed with championship bodybuilding. The Men’s 212, Classic Physique, Figure, Women’s Physique, Ms. Olympia and Wellness divisions all held their finals, while the Men’s Open competitors took the stage for prejudging. That made Friday particularly important because the Open competitors were compared side-by-side before returning Saturday night for the final decision.
Keone Pearson Wins His Fourth 212 Olympia
Keone Pearson continued his remarkable run in the Men’s 212 division, capturing his fourth consecutive Olympia title. Pearson was placed in the center of the final comparisons during prejudging alongside Lucas Garcia, Shaun Clarida and Vitor Alves Porto.
The final results saw Pearson take first, followed by Lucas Garcia in second, Shaun Clarida in third, Vitor Porto in fourth and Nihat Kaya in fifth. Pearson’s victory adds another championship to a run that has established him as one of the defining competitors of the modern 212 division.
Niall Darwen Shocks Classic Physique
One of the biggest surprises of Friday came in Classic Physique.
Niall Darwen captured his first Classic Physique Olympia title, defeating a tremendously competitive field. Mike Sommerfeld finished second, Ramon Dino third, Wesley Vissers fourth and Terrence Ruffin fifth.
The prejudging had already indicated that this would be an extremely competitive contest. Ramon Dino, the defending champion, brought considerably more thickness and width, while Sommerfeld appeared fuller than in previous Olympia appearances. Darwen emerged as a major factor during the comparisons and ultimately took the championship.
The result was particularly significant because Sommerfeld had finished runner-up the previous two years, while Ramon Dino entered Friday as the defending champion.
Andrea Shaw Wins Her Seventh Ms. Olympia
Andrea Shaw continued her extraordinary dominance in Women’s Bodybuilding by winning the 2026 Ms. Olympia, giving her seven consecutive titles.
Shaw faced strong competition from Ashley Lynnette Jones, Leyvina Rodrigues Barros and Paula Ranta. Jones finished second, while Barros placed third and Ranta fourth.
Shaw’s seventh title also moves her past Cory Everson on the all-time Ms. Olympia championship list, leaving her behind only Iris Kyle and Lenda Murray in total victories. Shaw has now won every Ms. Olympia since the division returned in 2020.
Natalia Abraham Coelho Takes Women’s Physique
Natalia Abraham Coelho successfully defended her Women’s Physique Olympia championship and captured her third Olympia title.
Coelho was compared closely with four-time champion Sarah Villegas, Zama Benta and Julia Cabarcos. Coelho ultimately finished first, with Benta second, Villegas third, Cabarcos fourth and Brooke Walker fifth.
According to the prejudging coverage, Coelho brought improved conditioning and maintained the impressive leg development that had helped establish her as one of the division’s leading athletes.
Lola Montez Wins Figure
The Figure Olympia also produced a new champion. Lola Montez won the 2026 Figure Olympia, defeating defending champion Rhea Gayle.
The prejudging final callout included Gayle, Montez, Jessica Reyes Padilla and Denise Zwinger-Tynek. Gayle had improved leg fullness, while Montez attracted attention for her abdominal presentation and tapered waist.
Montez ultimately left the Orleans Arena with the Figure Olympia championship.
Eduarda Bezerra Wins Wellness
Eduarda Bezerra successfully defended her Wellness Olympia title, earning her second consecutive championship.
The Wellness battle included Bezerra, Isabelle Nunes, Elisa Alcantara and Leonida Ciobu in the final callout. Nunes presented a significantly improved package, while Ciobu was described as one of the surprises of prejudging.
Bezerra nevertheless retained the title when the final comparisons were completed Friday night.
The Big Story: Men’s Open
But the biggest story of the entire weekend remains the Men’s Open division.
Friday’s prejudging produced an extremely important final callout involving Derek Lunsford, Andrew Jacked, Samson Dauda and Nick Walker.
Lunsford entered Las Vegas as the reigning Mr. Olympia champion, while Dauda is a former champion and Jacked and Walker have both established themselves as serious Olympia contenders.
The final callout put all four men directly against each other. Earlier callouts included Tonio Burton and Michal Krizanek, while Brandon Curry, Regan Grimes, Martin Fitzwater and James Hollingshead were among the other notable competitors appearing in the comparisons.
The significance of the final callout is that the judges spent substantial time comparing Lunsford, Jacked, Dauda and Walker directly. Their physiques will now be evaluated again Saturday night, when the championship is officially decided.
Lunsford is attempting to defend his title after winning the 2025 Olympia. Dauda previously captured the Olympia title in 2024, while Walker and Jacked are still seeking their first Mr. Olympia championship.
What Happens Today?
Saturday is Championship Saturday. Prejudging for Men’s Physique, Fitness and Bikini began in the morning, while the final championship session is scheduled for the evening. The Men’s Open title will be decided during the Saturday night finals.
Leading Men’s Open contenders going into tonight
Based strictly on Friday’s final callout and the athletes the judges repeatedly compared together, the four names at the center of today’s Mr. Olympia battle are:
Derek Lunsford — The defending champion, returning to defend his Sandow.
Andrew Jacked — A major contender who was included in the decisive four-man final callout.
Samson Dauda — The 2024 Mr. Olympia champion and one of the largest athletes in the lineup.
Nick Walker — One of the most recognizable Open competitors, also included in Friday’s final callout.
Those four were the athletes placed together in the final Men’s Open comparison Friday night, making them the clearest group to watch when the competitors return to the stage Saturday evening.
There is still no official winner before the finals. The judges can change their assessment after seeing the athletes again under the Saturday night lighting and after the competitors have had the opportunity to make final adjustments to conditioning, presentation and posing.
The 2026 Mr. Olympia champion will be crowned Saturday night, September 26, in Las Vegas. The official Olympia coverage is being streamed through OlympiaTV, with Saturday’s final session scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
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References
- Official Olympia Weekend
- OlympiaTV – Official Livestream
- 2026 Olympia Live Results and Reports
- 2026 Mr. Olympia Results
