Although Samson Dauda continuing his reign of dominance with his second straight unanimous post-Olympia victory at last weekend’s EVLS Prague Pro, Rubiel “Neckzilla” Mosquera might have been the biggest winner of the weekend.
Mosquera, who wasn’t even eligible to be on the Men’s Open roster heading into the weekend, captured the attention of the entire bodybuilding world at the Amateur event on Friday, when he easily won both the Overall and his IFBB Pro Card, with one most impressive displays of force that we’ve seen from an international competitor in recent years.
However, despite his uncontested victory in last weekend’s Amateur competition, it was his encore performance the following evening, when he placed 4th in a lineup that included a handful of top ten Olympia finishers that seemed to light the bodybuilding world on fire, drawing praise from several current and former athletes for the potential he displayed.
“Kid Looks Insane” - Flex Wheeler
“I have no doubt whatsoever that he will emerge as a top Mr. Olympia contender in the next 1-2 years...” - Nick Trigili
“Right now all eyes are on him...” - Kevin Levrone
“Trust and believe.” - Chris Cormier
“This guy is dangerous at the highest level.” - Chad Nichols
In recent years, we’ve seen a handful of international bodybuilders come out of the gate fast, gain notoriety, and go on to tremendous careers, including two of the last three Mr. Olympia winners – Hadi Choopan and Big Ramy. And, if the expert predictions hold true for Mosquera, he might only be beginning to scratch the surface of what his impact on the world of bodybuilding can be.
