Shaun Clarida could be pursuing two Olympia titles next year.
Heading into the 2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro, one of the big stories was Shaun Clarida preparing to make his debut in Men’s Open. The former 212 Olympia champion made the announcement in the week leading up to the competition. After a victory, Clarida wants to explore the opportunity of competing in two divisions during next year’s Olympia.
In a recent interview, Clarida discussed how he wants to use his qualification to the 2022 Olympia in both divisions. This would have to be approved before he was able to make it happen.
“I would absolutely love the opportunity to do that. I would love to talk to Jim (Manion), Tyler (Manion), Jake (Wood), whoever is in charge of making that decision, and hopefully they would allow me to do that. That would be amazing,” Clarida said.
“Obviously we’re going to be at the show regardless, but with the improvement’s we’re going to make this coming year, obviously the goal is to get my title back at 212, but I would love to really push myself and see what I can do in the Open Olympia this year. It’s definitely a decision that the higher ups are going to have to make, I’m going to respect whatever decision they decide to go with, but yeah if they allowed me the opportunity to do that, to cross over and to move, you bet your ass I’m gong to do that.”
Shaun Clarida continued by saying he was not sure which division he would choose if he was unable to compete in both. There are reasons for Clarida to choose either division and this will be the big question leading up to the show next year if he is unable to appear in both.
Clarida won the Olympia 212 back in 2020. He was the favorite coming into this year’s competition but finished second to Derek Lunsford. It seems obvious that Clarida would want to get his title back as soon as possible. On the other hand, competing in Men’s Open is the pinnacle of the sport and Clarida already showed that he can stack up.
When Clarida first made his announcement, he mentioned that it was not a permanent change and he did not plan to leave 212. Now that he has a competition victory in Men’s Open under his belt, it will be interesting to see if that notion changes.
The 2022 Olympia will take place in December of next year in Las Vegas. Clarida has earned his qualification and is planning to be present on stage. The question will remain, which division will he compete in?
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