“I Felt Vindicated”: 6x Mr. Olympia Widely Celebrated for His Monstrous Size Shares a Throwback Picture From Glory Days

Right before bodybuilding legend Ronnie Coleman announced himself on the big stage, another legendary bodybuilder dominated the sport throughout the bulk of the 1990s. His 6 Mr. Olympia consecutive triumphs still stand as one of the foremost benchmarks for many bodybuilders who came after him. Dorian Yates was all the rage back then. And he very recently shared a picture from one of his Olympia title victories. His size truly complimented his repute.

Dorian Yates was already the next big thing in the 90s, and he was on his way to achieving something bigger. But a series of acute injuries cut short his career after his final Mr. Olympia victory in 1997. Looking back at his physique from the 1995 competition, Yates relived his golden days.

Dorian Yates’s mass-muscle ratio in the mid-90s was uncomparable

Dorian Yates is one bodybuilder who was renowned for his high-intensity training and top-level conditioning. This resulted in his iconic wide and thick back. The bodybuilder had won every Olympia competition between 1992-1997 and currently stands at 5th position in the list of most Mr. Olympia titles ever won. Here’s him at the 1995 edition of the contest.

Yates shared the image on his Instagram with the caption, “The Victory Roar” with a lion emoji. The image too showed him flexing his muscles forward in his pose that won him the title that year. He continued, “Here’s a shot from the pose down in 1995. Like 1993, this year had gone extremely well for me”. It was a near-perfect performance from the British bodybuilder, who beat Kevin Levrone and Nasser El Sonbaty, placing them in 2nd and 3rd position respectively.

READ MORE – 60-Year-Old 6x Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates Stopped Bodybuilding Training – Here’s Why

However, Yates also suffered from frequent injuries, which only exacerbated towards the late 90s i.e. the end of his career. Remembering his injury from the 1994 edition, he continued, “Everything in prep had gone to plan and I felt vindicated from the previous year where I struggled with injury”. Yates still won the competition.

Injuries badly hampered Yates’s career

Yates defeated Shawn Ray and Kevin Levrone for the 2nd and 3rd place that time. But knowing that he had an injury, it was a big deal. However, in 1997, when Yates participated in his last Olympia and won, a section of the bodybuilding community didn’t take the news very kindly. Yates’s injuries had grown worse by then, what with his torn biceps and triceps. And many believed he clearly wasn’t as good as Nasser El Sonbaty. El Sonbaty, who the bodybuilding community still believes was also robbed of his title in 1998 against Coleman, was a Yugoslav bodybuilder who ended up as a runner-up in 1997 and 1998.

However, Yates didn’t wait around for another Olympia title in 1998 and retired from bodybuilding after understanding his situation. Such was his peak during prime fitness that if not for all the injuries, he could’ve continued bodybuilding for at least quite a few more years.

Watch this Story: Liver King’s 12k steroids truth revealed, bodybuilding world reacts