{"id":50273,"date":"2015-07-02T10:30:46","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T15:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=50273"},"modified":"2015-07-02T11:01:25","modified_gmt":"2015-07-02T16:01:25","slug":"international-strongman-competitor-trains-turner-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/international-strongman-competitor-trains-turner-center\/","title":{"rendered":"International Strongman Competitor Trains at Turner Center"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ole<\/a>

UM student John Stitt lost the lower part of his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2013, but that hasn\u2019t stopped him from training for and competing in strongman competitions.<\/p><\/div>\n

Following his accident, John Stitt had just two questions for his doctors: \u201cWhen can I walk again?\u201d and \u201cWhen can I lift weights again?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stitt, a criminal justice major at the University of Mississippi, began training for strongman competitions in 2012. A year later, he competed in his first event and came in dead last. But he still loved it.<\/p>\n

In November 2013, his training came to an abrupt halt. Just two days after his 23rd birthday,\u00a0Stitt was in a life-changing motorcycle accident. He broke his left femur\u00a0and left arm, fractured his pelvis, and his left leg was amputated immediately below the knee.<\/p>\n

Even while lying in a hospital bed, all Stitt could think about was training again. In spring 2014, he received a prosthetic foot and began standing. A month later, he started weightlifting again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally, they said I\u2019d never be able to lift weights again,\u201d Stitt said. \u201cNow, it\u2019s a year-and-a-half later, and I\u2019ve done two strongman competitions as a disabled athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n