Shaun Clarida Desires To Break Flex Lewis’ 212 Olympia Title Report

Clarida will persist with the 212 as he begins the ascent of one among bodybuilding’s tallest mountains.

Written by Robert Zeglinski Final up to date on March 24, 2023

Reigning 212 Olympia champ Shaun Clarida normally wears his coronary heart on his outsized sleeve. The athlete hasn’t been shy about sharing his bodybuilding targets and his subsequent mission may be the celebrity’s loftiest but.

On Mar. 23, 2023, Clarida appeared on an episode of The Fact podcast with esteemed bodybuilding coach Hany Rambod. Because the pair mentioned the two-time 212 Olympia champion’s (2020, 2022) future plans, Clarida didn’t mince his phrases: he desires to interrupt James “Flex” Lewis’ 212 Olympia file of seven titles (2012-2018). The athlete shall be primarily sticking with the 212 division for the foreseeable future in the hunt for this hallowed ambition.

Clarida’s long-term 212 aspirations would possibly come as a slight shock, contemplating he most recently featured in the Men’s Open division on the 2023 Arnold Traditional (AC). Regardless of the athlete being significantly smaller than his extra large friends, the bodybuilder took home a fifth-place finish at the contest.

Transferring ahead, in an method that appears each practical and training-efficient, Clarida didn’t essentially rule out related moonlighting Males’s Open appearances. Nevertheless, he’ll in any other case hold his concentrate on the 212 division, as that’s the place he has shined probably the most in his profession.

“I’m staying in 212 for certain,” Clarida defined. “The purpose is to win a number of titles right here [in the 212 division]. In fact, I prefer to dabble in a couple of smaller [Men’s] Open exhibits, possibly one other Arnold Traditional. However me simply doing the Arnold Traditional and doing effectively will not be sufficient for me to simply go away the 212 … I’m practical. If I couldn’t win the [2022] Arnold [Classic], then what’s the purpose of me shifting on from there? If I had received possibly it could be a distinct dialog.”

Clarida is behind Lewis’ dominating streak by 5 titles, but when anybody can match or eclipse the icon within the present panorama, it’s the 5-foot 2-inch competitor appropriately known as “The Big Killer.” Normally, that’s in reference to Clarida overcoming greater friends en path to a victory. On this case, Clarida surpassing Lewis could be extra like beating a residing legend — a metaphorical “big” of the game.

Clarida’s teasing his pursuit of the 212 Olympia file makes the years forward doubtlessly a few of the most enjoyable the division has ever seen.

“212 is my residence, it’s in my coronary heart, and I wish to stroll away as among the finest to ever do it,” Clarida mentioned. “I really like Flex Lewis to demise however the purpose is to beat his file.”