Brien Dawson of St. Joseph is back in form, with a trophy to prove it.

Dawson, a St. Joseph bodybuilder, overcame about 80 other competitors on Saturday night in the Kansas State Bodybuilding Championships in Topeka, Kan., to earn the title of Mr. Kansas 2009 in the American Bodybuilders Association-sanctioned event.

Dawson first won the middleweight division (176 pounds and under), then took the overall title from among all of the division winners.

The victory earned Dawson his ABA professional status.

It was not the first title for Dawson, who has been a bodybuilder for 25 years. He twice previously held the title of Mr. Missouri, and several times finished in the top five in the Mr. USA competition.

“This was kind of a comeback for me,” Dawson said. “I’ve almost been a pro many times in the past but have had some injuries and other injuries I’ve been overcoming of late.”

Dawson, who works as a computer programmer when not concentrating on his workout schedule, has most recently been training at The Gym in downtown St. Joseph.

Sports reporter Rick Dunaway can be reached at rickd@npgco.com