2020 Olympia Mens 212 Contest Report

by Ramandeep Kaur Monday, December 21, 2020

Olympia Contest Coverage Sponsored by BODYPRO Gym

After Flex Lewis retired from the Men’s 212 Bodybuilding Division, fans wondered if there would ever be the same draw the 7-time Olympia Champion brought. Kamal Elgargni sure did make a statement last year when he became the second person to claim the 212 Olympia Champion title. Another name that we were looking forward to seeing on stage this past weekend, was going to be Keone Pearson. Keone made the switch earlier this year from Classic Physique, to win the 2020 Chicago Pro in Men’s 212. It was a disappointment when Keone Pearson withdrew from the 2020 Olympia.

At this point, all eyes were focused on Kamal retaining his title and potentially going on to have a legacy reign as champion like that of Flex. While Elgargni did bring an exceptional physique to stage this year, and after prejudging fans were thinking it was a battle between Kamal and Derek Lunsford. When it came to the finals Saturday night, Elgargni was awarded the runner-up silver medal.

In somewhat of a surprise outcome, fans were excited to see Shaun Clarida announced as the new Men’s 212 Olympia Champion. Clarida brought a package that was both full and had sharp conditioning, which was enough to steal the title away from the defending champ.

It seems like George Peterson made the right call in making the move from Classic Physique to the Men’s 212 division. He packs a lot of muscle into his frame, which once again earned him a 3^rd place finish. While he didn’t move up in his placing compared to last year, his physique looks to be a better fit in this category. Peterson impressed us, and many fans, with a physique that was even better than expectations leading into the big show.

Based on where the day left off from prejudging, many were surprised to see the result leaving Derek Lunsford placing 4^th at the finals. Derek brought great fullness and a shape that was very impressive, but we believe it was the conditioning of Peterson that gave him just enough of an edge to bump Lunsford out of the top 3.

Ahmad Ashkanani has been the 212 runner-up twice previously, but his past two appearances have been less impressive. We expected to see Ashkanani stepping things up to bring a much improved package this year, in hopes of being back in the hunt for the title. Unfortunately, he did not step things up after all. Ashkanani ended up walking away with a 5^th place finish.