Compton Austin takes national masters title

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Scarborough bodybuilder Compton Austin has reached the pinnacle of amateur bodybuilding.

Austin, 41, won the Masters Canadian Heavyweight Championship in Montreal earlier this month.

It was his fourth crack at a national title and his first attempt at the light-heavyweight class.

A graduate of Sir Wilfred Laurier Collegiate, who currently works in the community as a registered nurse, Austin enlisted the training assistance of Henry Menzah, owner of Scarborough-based Fitness Zion.

The move proved to make all the difference for the five-foot six-inch tall, 190-pound bodybuilder.

"The difference was that I was smart enough to know that I needed someone to help me," said Austin, a two-time provincial champ.

"I was tired of losing to people I knew I should be beating, so I went out and found a trainer I could believe in," he said.

"I didn't want to go down the same way the others (national championships) went. He (Henry) had a plan and we executed that plan to perfection."

Austin might have bowed out of the nationals if it wasn't for a solid group of supporters which included Menzah, after a contentious second place finish at the provincial championships.

"The judging was very suspect," he said about the provincials and his frustration directly following the provincial championship event in June.

The judging panel there, he said, made some gigantic errors in scoring.

"So I said 'You know what? Forget the nationals, I'm not doing this'. And my network of support said, 'You've come this far, the nationals are in September and this is June. Just keep going.'" Austin missed out on the pro card this year, which goes to just one bodybuilder in the masters division annually.

But it's his for the taking.

"I'm the next guy in line for it next year," he said.

In addition to defending his title a year from now, Austin's plan includes continuing with Menzah's training regimen.

"Zion means heaven on earth, but when I go there it's hell," he said, referring to the name of the Scarborough Golf Club Road and Lawrence Avenue training studio and the hard work he must do there.

"When you go see Henry, you're going for one reason: to hurt."