Shaun Clarida is confident and looking to slay every single giant on the 2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Open stage.
Shaun Clarida is the success story that keeps on giving. If you were to rewind 5+ years ago, you would see a competitor that was often told he should hang up the towel. Then in 2020 he won the Men’s 212 Olympia. He later repeated that victory in 2022. Now Clarida has his sights set on something bigger, literally, by competing in the Men’s Open category. In this GI exclusive interview, Shaun Clarida speaks confidently with Victor Martinez and Brandon Lirio about how he is unconcerned about his size limitation and expects to win the Arnold Classic in Men’s Open.
We are in the middle of a Men’s 212 takeover of the Men’s Open division. Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, and Shaun Clarida have all proven that size doesn’t matter if you have the overall package and conditioning on your physique. Clarida competed in the Legion Sports Fest Pro in 2021 in the Men’s Open and claimed first place victory. He then later mused about whether or not he should compete in both Men’s 212 and Men’s Open during the 2022 Mr. Olympia competition.
Ultimately, league rules did not allow him to compete in both categories – so he stuck with Men’s 212. That gained him a solid and incredible victory. Now in 2023 he has his sights on taking over the Men’s Open completely. By competing in the 2023 Arnold Classic Men’s Open, he is signaling he doesn’t want to win a smaller show. He wants to win in Men’s Open against the best in the world. He’s even claimed that if he wins the Arnold, he’ll compete in the Mr. Olympia Men’s Open.
Shaun Clarida: The Giant Slayer in a land of giants
This weekend is now showtime – and we’ll see if Clarida’s amazing conditioning and aesthetic can overcome his smaller size against mass monsters like Big Ramy and Nick Walker. Based on our interview during the athlete meet and greet – he seems more confident than ever. He is determined to prove that size matters less than a perfectly aesthetic and shredded physique.
“If they’re not in shape, they’re in trouble”
– Shaun Clarida
Shaun Clarida also has something else driving his confidence this year. He is now father to a newborn child. As a father, he wants to prove to his family that he can be the best in the world, win the massive prize purse, and support his family. Especially with the amount of time he has to take away from being a father to prepare for a show as big as the Arnold Classic – he won’t accept anything less than a victory.
“I don’t sacrifice my family for anything less than a win”
– Shaun Clarida
Tonight’s Men’s Open prejudging will be our first look at Shaun Clarida standing side by side with some of the best mass monsters in the world. We’ll soon see if Clarida can be a wild card that completely upends the predicted outcomes this weekend. You can watch Shaun Clarida’s full interview with Generation Iron above!
And don’t forget to check out our full 2023 Arnold Classic coverage right here for updates, exclusive interviews, and results!
