Niall Darwen captured the Classic Physique title at the 2026 Mr. Olympia competition in Las Vegas on September 25 and 26, 2026, defeating former champion Ramon Dino in a major upset, according to media reports.
Darwen secured $100,000 for his first-place victory after outperforming top competitors in the division, as reported by kulturistika.com. Mike Sommerfeld earned $40,000 for second place, while Dino received $20,000 for placing third.
The result ended the reign of Dino, who became the first Brazilian Classic Physique winner in 2025. Ahead of the event, head judge Steve Weinberger advised Dino to improve his back width and definition, which the athlete attempted to address during the contest.
Sommerfeld showed visible improvements with a wider back and fuller legs while remaining under the weight limit to finish second. Terrence Ruffin executed a flawless routine, while Wesley Vissers demonstrated increased quadriceps muscle mass, placing both competitors just outside the top spots.
The intense comparisons required judges to assess the athletes through multiple rounds before finalizing the scores for the division.
“The judges put the competitors through several grueling rounds of comparisons, and when the dust settled, Las Vegas had a new king,” reported kulturistika.com.
In the Men’s Physique division, Ryan Terry sought his fourth consecutive title after winning in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Prejudging featured a competitive final callout involving Terry, former champion Ali Bilal, and Kyron Holden, according to generationiron.com.
