In his very first Mr. Olympia contest, Dorian Yates came second. However, that was just the beginning. Yates worked hard after his debut and then went on to lift six consecutive Sandow trophies. The 61-year-old bodybuilder pushed himself in such a way that he became one of the best in his era.

The Shadow, as he is popularly known, was once given a very tempting offer to join the World Bodybuilding Federation, a rival to the IFBB, by Tom Platz. But, the struggling star rejected the offer even when times were hard for him and his family. Despite a lucrative contract offer, why did Yates reject the offer to join the WBF?

Dorian Yates believed in his ability to become Mr. Olympia

While recalling a photoshoot from 1991, Dorian Yates remembered Platz’s appealing offer. Yates had found himself in a tough position at the time. He remembered, “I was offered a substantial amount of money for a contract with them, and at that time, I was a struggling bodybuilder living with my wife Debbie and son Lewis in Ladywood, Birmingham which like Castle Vale, wasn’t the best area.” Pointing to their financial condition back then, Yates suggested how the offer made by WBF would have been a life-altering moment.

However, when his wife left the entire decision to him, he believed in his genetics, determination, and will to win Mr. Olympia. According to the bodybuilder, he told Platz that he “could become Mr. Olympia very soon.” 

Although he accomplished one of the greatest bodybuilding careers in the industry, Dorian Yates never started his profession to become the best in the field. Here’s what he initially thought he would be achieving as a bodybuilder.

Dorian Yates’s initial plans as a bodybuilder

It was not money or fame that Yates was after from his profession. He had always confessed how his life took a sharp turn after he started bodybuilding, which he did for himself and no one else. He once wrote, “My intentions when I first started out with bodybuilding, was never to be number 1 or have fame and money, I just knew that deep down this decision I made to build a great physique was positive – pure and simple. Bodybuilding made me feel good about myself.”

READ ALSO: 6XMr. Olympia Dorian Yates Explains the Alternate Exercise to “Triceps” That Helped Him Build His Monster Physique

It is only because Dorian Yates prioritized his bodybuilding journey over money that he could reject Tom Platz’s offer, making all the difference in his life. Maybe if Yates had said yes to Platz and the WBF, the world would not have known the prowess of the six-time Mr. Olympia.

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