Lee Priest was not impressed with Chris Bumstead’s performance during the 2024 Prague Pro.
The 2024 Prague Pro was a major event in bodybuilding this year with Chris Bumstead taking the Open stage for the first time. Bumstead finished second to Martin Fitzwater during the event and this sparked plenty of conversation regarding the results.
Many believe that Bumstead was good enough to take home the title but Lee Priest is not one of those people.
“Bumstead looks great, yes, because everyone is still looking at him with Classic eyes. As an Open Bodybuilder, I’m sorry, he’s not that good.”
Bumstead has won the Classic Physique Olympia title six years in a row. He has become one of the biggest bodybuilding figures in the world. He announced his retirement from competing after the 2024 Olympia but decided to give it one more go in Open Bodybuilding.
Lee Priest Talks Chris Bumstead In Men’s Open
Fitzwater finished fourth during the most recent Olympia competition. He has quickly become one of the best bodybuilders there is. It is no surprise that he was able to win Prague but many believe Bumstead was good enough. Priest believes they got it right given the overall criteria.
“People are like ‘he should have won, he should have won.’ No, he’s classic. It’s just like if Martin had gone in Classic, he wouldn’t have won because of different criteria.”
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Bumstead has always been a taller bodybuilder and this has worked in his favor against smaller competitors. Priest wants him to stand next to other tall competitors in Open and see the comparison.
“Put him beside Samson, Andrew Jacked, Paul Dillett, someone with similar height and 50 or 60 more pounds of muscle but still good shape and symmetry, he’d look like crap.”
Despite his feelings on Bumstead in Open, Lee Priest liked the looks of all three competitors at the top. He believes that Fitzwater, Bumstead, or Shaun Clarida could have won the event without complaint.
“To me, they all looked great because they were all different. If Martin didn’t win and Chris did, I wouldn’t have a problem. If Shaun Clarida had of won, I wouldn’t of had a problem because he looked fantastic.”
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