Shaun Clarida Needs To Break Flex Lewis’ 212 Olympia Title File

Clarida will keep on 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 often wears his coronary heart on his outsized sleeve. The athlete hasn’t been shy about sharing his bodybuilding objectives and his subsequent mission may be the celebrity’s loftiest but.

On Mar. 23, 2023, Clarida appeared on an episode of The Reality 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 document of seven titles (2012-2018). The athlete will likely be primarily sticking with the 212 division for the foreseeable future searching for this hallowed ambition.

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

Shifting ahead, in an method that appears each life like 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 essentially the most in his profession.

“I’m staying in 212 for certain,” Clarida defined. “The objective is to win a number of titles right here [in the 212 division]. In fact, I wish to dabble in just a few smaller [Men’s] Open reveals, possibly one other Arnold Basic. However me simply doing the Arnold Basic and doing nicely shouldn’t be sufficient for me to simply depart the 212 … I’m life like. If I couldn’t win the [2022] Arnold [Classic], then what’s the purpose of me transferring on from there? If I had gained possibly it will be a special 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 Large Killer.” Often, that’s in reference to Clarida overcoming greater friends en path to a victory. On this case, Clarida surpassing Lewis can be extra like beating a dwelling legend — a metaphorical “big” of the game.

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

“212 is my house, it’s in my coronary heart, and I need to stroll away as among the best to ever do it,” Clarida mentioned. “I really like Flex Lewis to loss of life however the objective is to beat his document.”