by Christian Duque
This was one of those contests that honestly I am glad I was not a judge for. I often criticize close calls and I think a lot of fans can be hard on the judges, but I do have a world of respect for them because what they do is not something most of us can do. I know that I couldn’t do it. This was a very, very close call and I think they may have gotten it right, but I’m still not 100% signing on to it, either.
I think that Rafael is more aesthetic and looked tighter but that’s just not enough to go off of. Akim looks phenomenal. In fact Akim made dramatic improvements from the Olympia and one would have thought he would have been rewarded handsomely for it in Romania. Akim has the size, while Rafael has the aesthetics. I wouldn’t go so far as to call Akim a mass monster but in years past that’s exactly what he would have been categorized as. That being said, mass monsters usually lack aesthetics and are really just size and I don’t think that that would be an accurate assessment of Williams’ look. Plus we cannot forget that he is in fact a Top 6 Olympian and has won major titles throughout the sport.
On the other hand, Rafael comes from a very competitive background in Brazil and has slowly but surely climbed the ranks making himself one of the people to be talked about in any competition that he goes into. Now we can talk more about who took third, fourth, fifth and beyond but I really want to focus on the battle for first. To be honest with you it could have gone either way. Putting all my cards on the table, I probably would have gone with Akim because I’ve been a longtime fan and because I respect the fact that he made such dramatic improvements from the Olympia. On the flip side a lot of people are saying that Rafael was a deserving champion
Where I think a lot of people are holding back is from saying that either guy got robbed. Even though A LOT of people are angry. I have already seen the message boards suggest that Rafael was rewarded for coming in tighter and for having a better upper torso. That being said, I don’t think that it was a slam dunk for either guy. I think that Rafael comes in the dryer and as a result looks a lot better with regards to certain poses but I wouldn’t say that he dominated Akim by any stretch of the imagination. What I liked about Rafael’s physique is the fact that he had a great chest, great shoulders, and great arms. He was able to capitalize on the fact that many of the poses that are chest dominant were easy wins for him. I would also agree with a lot of the commentators that Rafael looks better on video. But again we have to qualify that statement because it’s not accurate to say that he looked better in general.
A lot of the video that I have seen is from Samsung Galaxies and iPhones and that’s just not the highest quality video. Up close it’s gold, but several rows back – not so much. We’re not talking about video in 4K and we’re certainly not talking about video that shows the detail that each competitor brought to the stage. So really Rafael looks better on low quality video clips.
On the flip side, I think it’s pretty much agreed that Akim looked phenomenal in the photos and in fact looked better than Rafael. Now we should also qualify that statement because the photos are in fact in a very high resolution, more than likely shot by professionals, and really showcase what the competitors brought to the stage. A talented photographer can bypass bad lighting and can even bypass bad posing on behalf of the athlete. This, after all, is their bread and butter. It’s very different from a fan 5-10 rows back filming with an iPhone while standing up or trying to do it low-key while sitting down. I don’t really think that there’s much debate insofar as which format is better to really present what each guy brought to the stage. Nonetheless they both show different aspects of each of these top two competitors at the Romania Pro.
Now we have also constantly heard that bodybuilding shows are won from the back. That was not the case at the Romania Pro. If it had been, Akim would have emerged victorious. Akim had fantastic back development, may have been holding a little bit of water in the lower back, but also had phenomenal hamstrings and his lat spread was second to none. The fact that Akim outsized and outshined Rafael from the back would suggest to me that he would be the winner but that’s not it, either. Akim also had far better wheels than Rafael and this included both more size and more deep cuts and separation. This is where I tend to have a little bit of a problem with the final score at this particular competition.
Let me explain…
I just want to say for the record. I’ve got nothing against Rafael. I’m happy that he won and I am not saying that he robbed Akim. I’m just saying that when you look at it from afar without any biases, you’re left wondering why it is that he took first and why it is Akim took second.
Legs are the largest muscle group in the body. They are followed by the back, which is the second largest body group. Most people throughout the internet and established YouTube channels give Akim the win from the back and give Akim the win from the legs. Mathematically speaking, as well as in terms of the number of poses that are back dominant and leg-dominant that should mean Akim should have won. I don’t think that having better arms and a better upper torso trump’s having better wheels and a better back.
Again it comes down to what those judges were looking for and what they saw. If what they saw is what we see on video then it makes sense that Rafael should have won. If what they saw is what we see in pictures, then it would stand to reason that Akim should have won, but didn’t. I still will reiterate that Rafael did not rob Akim. It’s just that it seems a little odd to me that a guy who comes in with a better back and better legs does not emerge victorious.
I do think that there has been some conversation about what exactly was going on with Akim’s lower back. Was it a film of water? Was it fat? Honestly I don’t think it really made that much of a difference because; he didn’t place third or fourth. I don’t think that the judges punished him for this, either. And I don’t think that Rafael was so close to perfection that the lower back issues that Akim had would have kept him from winning. When it comes down to posing, that’s where we have to look at the video and in the video that’s where Rafael shines. Once again though, Akim is a Top 6 Olympian and I think that with regards to posing that would have been enough to have given him the nod. I’m not saying that you should be rewarded for what you did in the past, rather, it should at least factor into where you’re placed in the present. We all know that Akim is a top poser and knows how to show his physique to the judges. That is what should matter and there is where his Top 6 previous Olympia finish is most relevant. This is a guy who has posed with the Top Six guys in the world so it would stand to reason that he would out-pose guys that have never reached that high of a pinnacle at the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding. But again that doesn’t really mean anything. It’s all about what the judges see and what they don’t see. Some competitors, no matter how advanced they may be, sometimes forget this very important factor. If they don’t present the physique, there’s no way the judges can score it.
I think that both Akim and Rafael have a great deal to be proud of. They gave the fans a phenomenal bodybuilding show and they looked very, very impressive. Neither guy walked away looking like a loser but there can only be one winner. There can only be one Olympia qualification and for this particular contest Rafael got it and Akim will have to come back for more at another contest.
What do you think? Do you think the judges got it right?
As always, thank you for reading my article here at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to share this article on all your social media feeds as it’s guaranteed to generate some lively conversation. I have said it before and I will say it again, it’s the shows that make you scratch your head that are the best ones. It’s those contests where it’s very very difficult to differentiate who is first and who is second that keep us glued to our screens and glued to our phones. You don’t get any better of a bodybuilding show than that!