I agree he looked great but he was not the same force from behind and this hurt him.
Well my thoughts on this are as follows:
- Nasser's back was not as weak in his peak competitive years as some people suggest and his hams and calves were breathtaking.
- It is a physique contest and front is just as important. Some athletes came higher than Nasser with only maybe the back being better; Yates had no arms, narrow quads, and others had gyno and droopy chest.
- His PERFECTION from the front and still decent showing from the back was enough to comfortably win at least 3 Olympias if all things were fair. By this I mean they weren't judging names, or the personal friends of the judges (like Yates was) looking for a new American champ.