An Angus man has gone from being at death’s door as a child to becoming one of the brightest young bodybuilding stars in Scotland.
Joshua Batchelor, 19, from Carnoustie spent six months in Yorkhill Hospital as a 12-year-old after contracting E.coli.
The bug attacked his internal organs and he suffered liver and kidney failure before medical treatment eventually saved his life.
Upon leaving hospital doctors advised Joshua to go to the gym to start building himself back up again after the condition had eaten away at the former St John’s High School pupil’s muscles.
During his rehabilitation Joshua caught a different type of bug the gym bug and has now transformed himself into a bodybuilding champion contender, who is in the running to compete in the British Natural Bodybuilding Federation (BNBF) finals in September.
The teenager, who works at Burtons in Dundee and Visocchi’s in Broughty Ferry, recently competed at a Scottish qualifier in Perth and is set to test his skills against the best the UK has to offer in just two months.
“I have always been interested in the gym since I got out of hospital and had to build myself back up,” said Joshua.
“At the start I was just doing a lot of cardio to get my fitness back up when I left hospital and it was only really this year that I got into body building. The gym stuff was on doctor’s advice as the E.coli had eaten away at me.
“I started to develop pretty quickly and my best friend went in for a competition last year and just seeing him do it got me interested.
“As soon as I spoke to my friend he put me on a diet, and over the last 11 months I have grown a fair amount.
“I’m in the teens class and I came third at the Scottish qualifiers for the British championship, which I was pretty pleased with although I would have liked to have come higher.
“But I’m glad I qualified.”
Joshua’s dedication to his goals has brought about a dramatic turnaround in his physique and minor success in his early days in the bodybuilding world.
However, that comes at a price as he describes the discipline as a “selfish” sport that takes up a lot of time.
“Over the last 11 months I have been eating on the hour, every hour,” said Joshua.
“Some people call it a sport and I think it is but to me I love it as a hobby. I enjoy going to the gym. Bodybuilding disciplines you a lot, but it is hugely time consuming.
“It’s quite a selfish sport for a while when you get started because you have to commit to not going out with your friends and have to go to bed at the right time.
“It also swallows all your money. I was OK with things like the tan. I knew it was just something I had to do and everyone else would be doing it too. However, the posing trunks were a bit different.
“That was a big confidence step, but once you get there you realise everyone else is wearing them too and the people who are coming to see it expect you to be wearing them.
“I definitely feel that it’s worthwhile and I really enjoy it. It’s a great feeling.
“I’ve been training at the Body Academy in Perth and there are still another three or four qualifiers to go through, so I will need to see who comes through that.
“I feel hopeful about it.”