CLEVELAND (WJW) — A Cleveland athlete just became a bodybuilding world champion — and he did it with only one leg.
Michael Anderson, 53, has been competing in bodybuilding for decades. But in 2015, an injury to his right leg revealed a more serious issue: peripheral vascular disease and a bone infection. After multiple surgeries, Anderson made the life-changing decision to amputate his leg in 2017.
“I wasn’t able to work out like I normally would. I licked my wounds with Ben & Jerry’s and Mike and Ikes,” Anderson said, recalling his lowest point.
But giving up was never an option.
Anderson, a lifelong athlete who once won state titles in track and field, rediscovered his passion when he attended a bodybuilding competition as a spectator on crutches. A judge asked when he planned to return to the stage — a question that lit a fire in him.
“I didn’t even have my prosthetic leg yet. I thought I was disqualified,” Anderson said.
By 2018, he was competing again. This month in Pittsburgh, he was crowned the 2025 Masters World Champion, beating out top bodybuilders from around the globe.
“‘Satisfying’ doesn’t even begin to explain how full circle this is,” Anderson said. “Continuing to compete forces me to stay in a lane — and I don’t hate how I look.”
His story is one of grit, resilience, and proof that disability is no barrier to success.
“When you accept that this is your new life, your reality, every step is a reminder,” Anderson said. “I’m walking — I’m not sitting.”
Melissa Reid
Source link