A living legend has been slighted by the IFBB. Or has he? The world has long anticipated Flex Lewis’ return to the Olympia stage in his long-awaited shift to the open class. A number of years ago, in 2018, Flex was given a special invitation to compete with the open men bodybuilders, but was unfortunately set back by time off due to injuries, rehab, business ventures, and restrictions due to Covid did not help the matter. Now, he and his coach Neil Hill have officially announced his return to the stage. However, that announcement was met with a strong rebuttal by Chief Olympia Officer Dan Solomon. Solomon clearly stated that Flex is in fact qualified for the 212 division, but not for open.
He then went on to suggest that there haven’t been any special invitations issued yet. Does this mean that The Olympia is trying to create anticipation and uproar from the fans, or is he serious about Flex needing to compete in a qualifying show? If the latter is the case, Hill has made a statement saying that Flex is not prepared to prep for two shows this year, putting both parties in a bit of a jam.
Will The Olympia recant their statement or give a special invite to the open class and retract their statement, or stick to their guns and lose the opportunity for a huge draw for the Olympia from Flex’s return? We will need to wait and see as the months unfold here, but it appears that Flex is preparing in anticipation of showing up on competition day.
With that being said, Lewis has recently sustained an injury to his rib, which he talks about in a recent video. He has a history of injury, having received stem cell therapy just a year ago to rehab an injury. His latest injury is to his rib during a set of vertical leg press, causing his serious pain while training since.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Flex Lewis, but his time to have a strong showing on the world’s greatest bodybuilding stage is numbered. At 38 years old, this opportunity must open up to him within the next 24 months or the world may miss the privilege of seeing one of history’s greatest bodybuilders who happened to be in the 212 category go head-to-head with the open bodybuilders of our modern era of bodybuilding.
