Background
O'Toole is of Métis and Irish background and grew up in the cities New Westminster and North Vancouver, British Columbia. He played hockey in both cities up to the Midget 'A' level. Becoming inspired by the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Pumping Iron, and already a weight training enthusiast, O'Toole was encouraged to compete in bodybuilding because of his impressive genetics.
A late starter, he entered his first competition, a novice show known as the Gator's Classic, in 1992, and won the middleweight class, tying for the overall - despite reportedly arriving so late he did not even have time to put on his bronzer. Two years later, at the 1994 British Columbia Bodybuilding Championships, a scoring error gave the initial light heavyweight class win to another competitor. This decision was reversed by the organization a few weeks later, but only the class win could be reversed and not the overall competition, which all those present including guest poser Dennis Newman had assumed would go to O'Toole.
O'Toole entered the last-ever Western Canada Bodybuilding Championships the following year and won the Light Heavyweight as well as the Overall competitions. In 1996, he competed in the Canadian Bodybuilding Championships, placing second in the light heavyweights, but went on two weeks later to compete in the North American Championships, easily winning the light heavyweight title. This made him the second man ever to win both the overall Western Canada championship and a weight class win at the North American championship (the other being fellow British Columbian Franco Cavaleri).
Unwilling to engage in heavy drug use to put on the extra mass to compete as a heavyweight, O'Toole retired from bodybuilding competition after the 1996 North American championships and is pursuing a career as a personal trainer, and has occasionally competed in mixed martial arts. O'Toole's physique remains notable in the bodybuilding world because of his symmetry and aesthetics, which have been compared to Shawn Ray and Mike Mentzer.
Read more about this topic: Kevin O'Toole (bodybuilder)
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