Amputee bodybuilder takes fourth in Ohio competition

From the Mansfield News Journal in Ohio:

MANSFIELD, Ohio -- John Allen, (pictured) an amputee bodybuilder from Mansfield, was fourth in the 50-and-older division of the Dave Liberman National Physique Committee Natural Ohio Bodybuilder Championships at the Lakewood Civic Auditorium on April 4.

Allen, who turns 59 on April 13, was the only physically challenged competitor in his division and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Former Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, was guest poser at the show.

Diabetes robbed Allen of his gall bladder, spleen, 90 percent of his pancreas, half of his stomach and colon and, in 2003, his left leg below the knee.

In his three years as a bodybuilder, Allen has won numerous trophies. Last year, he took two firsts at the USA Great Lakes Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships in Columbus, winning the physically challenged division and the Grand Masters class.

In 2007, Allen made Team USA by earning second place in the physically-challenged division of the International Natural Bodybuilding Association nationals in Los Angeles.