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Canadas Best Chances to Win the 2022 Olympia - 212

By: 
Roger “Rock” Lockridge

The Olympia 212 title was created in 2008, but back then it was the 202-pound division. Going back to that original contest, there have been six Olympia champions crowned – David Henry, Kevin English, Flex Lewis, Kamal Elgargni, Shaun Clarida, and 2021 winner Derek Lunsford.

Lunsford is now in the Men’s Open, but Clarida and Elgargni are both back to reclaim that title while the other contenders hope to win their first Olympia. Canada’s never had an Olympia 212 Champion, but could this year be the year it happens? The entire field is listed below as written on the Olympia website. There are only two Canadians in this 34 man lineup, but let’s evaluate the odds for the 212 to make its way to a new homeland.

  • Shaun Clarida (USA)
  • Kamal Elgargni (Libya)
  • Mohamed El Azim (Egypt)
  • Ahmad Ashkanani (Kuwait)
  • Angel Calderon Frias (Spain)
  • Felipe Moraes (Brazil)
  • Oleh Kryvyi (Ukraine)
  • Douglas Connor (USA)
  • David Henry (USA)
  • Anwar Al Balushi (Oman)
  • Yunlong Ping (China)
  • Bryan Balzano (US)
  • Robert Taylor (UK)
  • Lucas Silva Coelho (Brazil)
  • Noel Adame (USA)
  • Hossein Kalateh (Canada)
  • Oswaldo Gonzalez (USA
  • Ahmed Fawzi (Iraq)
  • Jafar Ghaffarnezhad Azizi (Iran)
  • Ayat Baghri (Iran)
  • Dean White (UK)
  • Dectric Lewis (USA)
  • Keone Pearson (USA)
  • Kerrith Baijjo (USA)
  • Naser Mohamed (Kuwait)
  • Romain Ramassamy (Canada)
  • Mazin Al Rahbi (Oman)
  • Peter Molnar (Hungary)
  • Hamed Juma (Bahrain)
  • Eduardo Correa (Brazil)
  • Radoslav Angelov (Bulgaria)
  • Sung Yeop Jang (South Korea)
  • Daniel Sticco (Italy)
  • Abdullah Alsaif (Saudi Arabia)

 

Canada's Chances

Hossein Kalateh

Kalateh made his pro debut at the Toronto Pro, which he won to earn his Olympia qualification. Winning your pro debut automatically generates respect, but the Toronto lineup only featured four athletes, and he will now be stepping on bodybuilding’s biggest stage with two former champions alongside him. Nonetheless, he did have a very complete physique with good conditioning. His quads stand out in his front shots, but he will need to add size to his upper body to match. Clearly as a competitor, he will train to win, but should he finish in the top ten or even the top six, that would be a great Olympia debut.

Romain Ramassamy

Ramassamy won the 2022 Van City Pro 212 contest, which featured seven athletes. Ramassamy was also second in Toronto as a Classic Physique competitor. This will also be his Olympia debut, and it will be difficult to stand out in a lineup of 34 athletes. If he were to make the top 15, then perhaps he found his home in the 212. If not, 2023 could be an interesting year for him because he may continue to pursue 212 or return to Classic Physique.

Keep checking back to Muscle Insider as we continue to preview each of the pro divisions leading up to the big weekend in Las Vegas. You can also order the pay-per-view at www.olympiaproductions.com so you can watch all the action as it unfolds at the 2022 Olympia weekend.

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