Martin Fitzwater’s victory over Chris Bumstead at the EVLS Prague Pro has sparked widespread discussion in the bodybuilding community. In a YouTube video shared on November 20, 2024, Shaun Clarida weighed in on the showdown, explaining why Fitzwater defeated ‘Cbum’ to claim the win.
Fans of bodybuilding were ready to bid farewell to Chris Bumstead, who announced his retirement after winning a sixth Classic Physique Olympia title. However, the Canadian champion had other plans. He jumped into the EVLS Prague Pro on short notice to make his highly anticipated splash in the Men’s Open class, where he battled with Shaun Clarida and Fitzwater for gold.
Ultimately, Clarida took third place behind runner-up Bumstead and winner Martin Fitzwater. Although he wasn’t able to win, ‘The Giant Killer’ lived up to his nickname, defeating over a dozen top-tier Open talents. With time to reflect on his performance, he joined Ron Harris to discuss the event and his plans for the future.
Shaun Clarida Discusses Prague Pro Results, Explains Why Martin Fitzwater Beat Chris Bumstead, Talks Contest Plans for 2025
While he didn’t earn gold, Clarida said third place at the Prague Pro was a big win for him.
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“I’m on cloud nine still. Placing third was a big win for me. Again, guys, I said I went to this show with nothing to lose, nothing to prove, and everything to gain and I gained some new fans.
I gained some new respect from people. Being the lightest and shortest guy, a 212 competitor, still beating out 17 other Open guys man, this is definitely a win for me,” he shared.
According to Clarida, Fitzwater defeated Bumstead on stage thanks to his muscularity, size, and density.
“There is criteria that’s needed to be number one. Size, conditioning, proportions, shape, conditioning, all those things Martin had. Cbum had them as well. But obviously, muscularity and size and density, that counts for something.”
He believes Fitzwater ‘checked off way more boxes’ than Bumstead, adding that the criteria in the Open class differs greatly from Classic Physique.
“Yeah, maybe Cbum had maybe an inch or two of more condition than Martin give or take, but at the end of the day, Martin checked off way more boxes than Cbum.
Don’t get me wrong it was close for sure, but you got to realize this is bodybuilding and Cbum is the GOAT of Classic. Classic has a separate criteria.”
As for Clarida’s future, he won’t compete at the upcoming Arnold Classic but plans to target two or three Open contests in 2025.
“I will be at the Arnold Classic as a spectator. I’m not doing the show. Again, I want to give Stefan that full year to work with me to make those drastic improvements that we want to make and focus on the Olympia,” shares Clarida.
“The focus will always be the 212 Olympia. I’m not leaving the 212 but I definitely plan on doing at least one to two Open shows a year after the Olympia if I can. So next year, I’m hoping, there’s a good amount of Open shows overseas again, I’d like to hit two or three in a row.”
With a new coach in his corner, Shaun Clarida wants to make the most of his time away from the stage. His focus remains on regaining the 212 Olympia title but will treat fans to more Open appearances during his next bodybuilding season.
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Watch the full video from the Ron Harris Muscle YouTube channel below:
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