The most common stereotype about vegans is “this diet is not for physical activity.”
Many studies contradict each other; Different people have different opinions. At the moment, we can say for sure that not only nutrition, but a much larger number of factors influence a person’s condition.
We will only provide living evidence that outstanding athletic performance, directly related to physical strength, nutrition and overall health, has been achieved by vegetarians and vegans around the world.
Our list includes only people who have achieved high results in sports, while their diet during the achievement of these results is accurately recorded, to clarify which all sources of information have been checked. So, we have several groups for different sports, the country, key records and awards are indicated.
Reflect and get inspired!
Triathlon, athletics, running
Lewis Carl
(Carl Lewis) born 1961, USA. Olympic champion, track and field athlete; world champion. Vegan since 1990; Having changed his previous diet to vegan, he received Olympic gold three times for the long jump and relay. He holds the title of “Athlete of the Century” from the International Olympic Committee. He holds the proud title of “World Athlete of the Century” from the IAAF. Winner of the Prince of Asturias Award. Lewis always says that such outstanding results were only possible thanks to a vegan diet.
Moses Edwin
(Edwin Moses), born 1955, USA. Vegetarian. Two-time Olympic champion in the 400-meter steeplechase. For ten years, from 1977 to 1987, he participated in 122 races and did not lose a single one of them! Edwin, a humanist who promotes ideas of peace and goodness, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Massachusetts in 2009. Thus, his contribution to maintaining the Olympic Games and promoting sports with the aim of positive changes in society was noted.
Voight Emil
(Emil Voigt), 1883—1973, Great Britain. Vegetarian. Emil is the last Olympic champion, who also set a world record in the 5 mile race in 1908. He won races in Europe and Australia many times. He always said that he chose the type of vegetarian diet for ethical reasons. He was a member of the Vegetarian Cyclists Club.
Oaks Fiona
(Fiona Oakes), born 1968 Great Britain. Vegan. Fiona has three world records under her belt. The athlete became a vegan at the age of 6, and at 17, having lost her kneecap, she did not stop, but began to train even harder in sports. Fiona's love for animals is one of the first places in her life; she supports many foundations around the world and loves Russia very much. Since 2008, Oakes has also been a patron of the Captive Animals Protection Society, a charitable organization that opposes the use of animals in zoos and circuses.
Brazier Brendan
(Brendan Brazier), born 1975 Canada. Brendan is a two-time ultramarathon winner in Canada. A convinced vegan since 1999, author of books on healthy nutrition, creator of the Vega brand of plant-based products.
Biscay Hillary
(Hillary Biscay), born 1978, USA. Participant in as many as 60 (!) Ironman races. Hillary, being a vegan, became the champion of the Ultraman World 2013 competition. According to Biscay, by switching to a plant-based diet, she became significantly faster and stronger.
Source of protein in vegetarianism
If for some reason you also decide to join a vegetarian club, then you should decide where to get your protein from. Favorites among plants include legumes, nuts and whole grains. All these products can completely replace the protein that you recently received from animal foods. Ideally, it is recommended to consume 2.5 grams of vegetable protein per kilogram of your own weight.
You shouldn’t forget about fats during a vegetarian lifestyle. Everyone knows that there are bad and good fats. The first ones are deposited in the subcutaneous layer and form an ugly body. The latter are processed into free energy and allow muscle mass to grow.
To grow muscles, you need to eat up to 1 gram of fat for every kilogram of your body weight. Only then will all losses be replenished, and the body will begin to acquire the desired shape.
In fact, being a vegetarian is not difficult, and it will not even prevent you from becoming a bodybuilder. The hardest thing is to give up eating meat products. In this case, we are not even talking about willpower. You should definitely understand that if you are not ready for such a healthy lifestyle, then it is better not to experiment. Otherwise, you will experience enormous stress, which will lead to muscle loss. Think carefully, are you ready to adhere to certain rules for the rest of your life, or is a holiday without barbecue impossible?
To sensibly understand what awaits a vegetarian bodybuilder, you need to consider his diet.
Boxing and other martial arts
Hackenschmidt Georg
nicknamed "Russian Lion", Russia-Estonia, 1877-1968. One of the first professional wrestlers. Vegetarian. World champion in freestyle wrestling. Set several records in weightlifting. Gackenschmidt was attentive to nutrition. Estonian sources confirm that Georg was a vegetarian.
Jofre Eder
(Éder Jofre), born 1936, Brazil. Vegetarian boxer. Twice world champion in bantamweight and featherweight. Eder is inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This is one of the famous boxers in the history of boxing, according to Ring Magazine. And according to the International Boxing Research Organization, the best boxer in the world. Jofre had no choice of food: he had the opportunity, as a young man, to visit a slaughterhouse one day. Since then I became a vegetarian, remaining on this diet forever.
Thompson Lenroy
(Lenroy Thompson), born 1988, USA. Boxer. Vegan. He repeatedly became the US champion in amateur boxing in the heavyweight (!) weight. He is the captain of the national team. Since 2012 - vegan. After switching to this type of diet, he won a number of titles and realized that this is proper nutrition, and now promotes veganism in his hometown of Uniondale near New York. Lenroy is a well-known campaigner for raising awareness of breast cancer in women, so Thompson often wears pink clothing to draw attention to this pressing issue.
Danzig Mack
(Mac Danzig), born 1980, USA. Mixed martial arts. He became a vegan in 2006 and a year later became the winner of The Ultimate Fighter tournament. He often talks about being a vegan pioneer in martial arts. He is an animal advocate and worked at a shelter for homeless dogs and cats.
Forman Claire
(Claire Foreman), Australia. Australian 2020 Muay Thai champion. I became a vegetarian for ethical reasons, but quickly realized how important it is for health and sports. Switched to veganism in 2020
Kowalski Walter
(Walter “Killer” Kowalski), 1926—2008, Poland-Canada. Wrestler, multiple champion. Vegan. He opened his own wrestling school, where he trained many students - famous fighters. Walter became a vegetarian in the 60s. and was for a long time the only vegetarian in wrestling. At one time I even ate raw food. Walter promoted vegetarianism through various societies and on TV, discussing nutrition in the context of sports.
List of verified vegans and vegetarians from the world of sports
Athletes are divided into groups. For each person, his/her country and year of birth, type of diet, types of sports, key awards/achievements/records are indicated.
Running, athletics, triathlon
Carl Lewis - legendary American athlete and vegetarian
- Carl Lewis [USA, born 1961, vegan] - track and field athlete, multiple Olympic champion and world champion. He became a vegan in 1990, after which he won Olympic gold three times (in 1992 and 1996: long jump, 4x100 meter relay) and a number of other awards. In 1999, he received the title of “Athlete of the Century” according to the results of voting by the International Olympic Committee, is the “World Athlete of the Century” according to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), and winner of the international Prince of Asturias Award. According to Lewis, his outstanding athletic performance in 1991 was made possible by eating a vegan diet.
- Edwin Moses [USA, born 1955, vegetarian] - track and field athlete, 2-time Olympic champion in the 400-meter hurdles, from 1977 to 1987 he did not lose a single start in 122 races. Vegetarian and humanist promoting ideas of peace. In May 2009, the University of Massachusetts awarded Moses an honorary doctorate for his efforts to maintain the integrity of the Olympic Games and use of sport as a tool for positive social change.
- Emil Voigt [Great Britain, 1883-1973, vegetarian] - track and field athlete, the last Olympic champion in the 5 mile race (in 1908 he set a permanent world record, since such a distance was no longer competed), winner of many races in Great Britain, Europe and Australia (where he migrated in 1911). He chose vegetarianism for ethical reasons and was a member of the local Vegetarian Cycling Club.
- Fiona Oakes - vegan marathon runner with 3 world records
Fiona Oakes [UK, born 1968, vegan] - marathon runner, holder of three world records. Became vegan at the age of 6. She lost her kneecap at the age of 17, which did not stop her from new achievements. Known for her love for animals (she runs shelters and a non-profit foundation) and for Russia. He is a patron of the British charity Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS), established in 2008 and opposing the use of animals in entertainment (zoos, circuses, etc.).
- Brendan Brazier [Canada, born 1975, vegan] - triathlete. Twice winner of 50-kilometer ultramarathons in Canada (2003 and 2006). A committed vegan since 1999, Brazier has written several successful books on the diet and created a plant-based food brand (Vega).
- Hillary Biscay [USA, born 1978, vegan] - triathlete. Participant in 60 Ironman races, champion of the Ultraman World 2013 competition and author of the fastest debut in Ultraman history (2010). In 2009, while reading the book Food Revolution (John Robbins), she was “shocked to learn how much energy is required to produce animal products and their impact on the environment,” and then became a vegan. According to her, since the transition to eating only plant-based foods, she has become “lighter, faster and stronger.”
Boxing and other martial arts, wrestling
Vegetarian wrestler Georg Hackenschmidt, nicknamed "Russian Lion"
- Georg Hackenschmidt (Hackenschmidt) [Russia-Estonia, 1877-1968, vegetarian] - one of the first professional wrestlers, who received the nickname "Russian Lion". The first world champion in freestyle wrestling, author of several strength records, medalist of the world weightlifting championships. Gakkenshmidt paid great attention to nutrition - according to Estonian sources, he was a vegetarian.
- Jofre [Brazil, born 1936, vegetarian] - boxer. World champion in the bantamweight (1961-1964) and featherweight (1973) categories. Member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), one of the best boxer-punchers of all time according to Ring Magazine, best bantamweight boxer according to the International Boxing Research Organization. In his youth he visited a slaughterhouse, after which, for ethical reasons, he became a vegetarian and remained so throughout his entire boxing career.
- Lenroy Thompson (Cam F. Awesome) [USA, born 1988, vegan] - boxer. Multiple US amateur boxing heavyweight champion, captain of the US national team (2016). He became a vegan in 2012, after which he won a number of titles (including US champion in 2013 and 2014) and began promoting veganism in his hometown (Uniondale, a suburb of New York). He is also known for promoting breast cancer awareness (for which reason Thompson often performs in pink).
- Mac Danzig [USA, born 1980, vegan] - mixed martial arts fighter, winner of The Ultimate Fighter 6 tournament (2007). He became a vegan in 2006 and, in his words, “for a long time remained the only vegan in martial arts.” From 18 to 20 he worked at an animal shelter and is an animal rights activist.
Killer Kowalski - the author of the wrestling school and promoter of vegetarianism
- Foreman [Australia, vegan] - Muay Thai fighter, Australian champion 2015. “I became a vegetarian in response to the terrible conditions in which animals are kept in factory farms and for reasons of environmental sustainability, but it also became really beneficial for sports and health.” Vegetarian since 2008, vegan since July 2020.
- Walter "Killer" Kowalski [Poland-Canada, 1926-2008, vegetarian] - wrestler, multiple champion. He created his own wrestling school, where he trained a number of famous fighters. In 2007 he was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. Became a vegetarian in the 1960s and claimed to be the only vegetarian in professional wrestling. I followed a raw food diet for some time. He often spoke at the Boston Vegetarian Society, as well as vegetarian restaurants in Boston and on cable television, where he discussed issues of wrestling and his chosen diet.
Football, hockey, basketball
- Neil Robinson [UK, born 1957, vegan] is the first known vegan professional footballer. Became a vegetarian at the age of 13 and a vegan at 23. He was named Player of the Year for Grimsby Town Football Club in the 1985–86 season, then playing in England's second highest league.
- Earle [Jamaica-Great Britain, born 1965, vegetarian] - footballer for British clubs and the Jamaican national team. He played 33 matches for the national team, including scoring all of its goals at the 1998 World Cup (including Jamaica's first goal in the final series of the World Cup). He is a vegetarian according to the Vegetarian Society of Great Britain.
Forest Green Rovers is a vegan football club from the UK
... and we have already written about a whole vegan football club from the UK - Forest Green Rovers - in the news.
- Michael "Mike" Zigomanis [Macedonia-Canada, born 1981, vegan] is a hockey player known for his performances in the NHL and AHL. In 2011 he became a vegan, and in 2013 he received the Man of the Year award in the American Hockey League (AHL).
- Bill Walton [USA, born 1952, vegetarian] - basketball player. In my youth I was already a vegetarian. Twice became NBA champion (1977, 1986).
- Williams [USA, born 1977, vegetarian] - American football player (12 seasons in the NFL and one in the CFL). Heisman Trophy winner and two-time All-American. During his athletic career, he followed an almost strict vegetarian diet with the only exception being Greek yogurt.
Winter sports
Bode Miller - vegetarian and the most successful American skier
- Bode Miller [USA, born 1977, vegetarian] - alpine skier, Olympic champion and multiple world champion. He grew up vegetarian and became the most successful American alpine skier, as well as the oldest Olympic medalist in alpine skiing.
- Meagan Duhamel [Canada, born 1985, vegan] is a pair figure skater. She became a vegan in December 2008, after which she was twice world champion (2015 and 2020), as well as the winner of a number of other world competitions (two golds at the Four Continents Championships, gold at the Grand Prix Final). According to her, the chosen type of nutrition helps with training, concentration and recovery after exercise.
- Hannah Teter [USA, born 1987, vegetarian] - snowboarder, Olympic champion (2006, halfpipe) and 6-time World Cup winner. She became a vegetarian after watching the film Earthlings and said that this diet “took her to another level” as an athlete. She donated the funds earned from her awards (more than 100 thousand USD in total) to charity. He is an international representative (Global Ambassador) of the Special Olympics organization for persons with mental disabilities.
Other sports
- Alexey Voevoda [Russia, born 1980, vegetarian] - bobsledder, two-time Olympic champion (2014), and world champion (2011). Became a vegetarian in 2010, tried a raw food diet for 3 months. He believes that giving up meat helped improve both athletic performance and well-being. Before bobsleigh, he was engaged in arm wrestling, becoming a 3-time world champion, and after the Olympics in Sochi he announced that he was returning to this type of wrestling.
- Venus and Serena Williams - legendary sisters-tennis players
Venus and Serena Williams (Venus Williams, Serena Williams) [USA, born 1980 and 1981, vegans] - legendary sisters-tennis players. In 2011, Venus became a vegan to reduce inflammation (the autoimmune disease Sjogren's Syndrome), after which Serena followed her choice to support her sister. Since then, the sisters have become Olympic champions in doubles (2012), Serena won gold in singles there, and Venus won silver at the next Olympics (2016). In addition, Serena maintained her status as world number one in the WTA rankings from 2013 to 2020 for 186 weeks, which is a record in history (repeating the result of Steffi Graf in 1987-1991). - Lizzie Deignan ( n. Armitstead) [UK, born 1988, vegetarian] - track cycling racer, world champion and silver medalist in the group 140-kilometer road race at the 2012 Olympic Games. Became vegetarian at the age of 10.
- Johnny Weissmuller [Hungary-USA, 1904-1984, vegetarian] - swimmer, 5-time Olympic champion. He became a vegetarian as prescribed by the American vegetarian doctor John Kellogg, after which he was able to break one of his swimming records. He is also known as an actor who played the role of Tarzan in films of the 1930s and 1940s.
- Ricardo Torres Nava [Mexico, born 1954, vegetarian] - the first Latin American to conquer Everest. He conquered the Seven Summits of the World, received the title of “Sportsman of the Year” (1989) and even “Sportsman of the Century” from the Mexican government. In an interview in 1999, he spoke about his vegetarianism.
- Rustam Gelmanov [Kazakhstan-Russia, born 1987, vegetarian] - rock climber. Winner of the Bouldering World Cup (2008), world ranking leader (2009 and 2011); the first Russian athlete to conquer the difficult Action Directe 9A route. Became a vegetarian in 2005.
- Patrick Baboumian - vegan and Germany's strongest man
Patrick Baboumian [Armenia-Germany, born 1979, vegan] is a strength athlete and former bodybuilder. Became a vegetarian in 2005 and a vegan in 2011. Since 2009, he has the status of “The Strongest Man in Germany” and is the author of the world record for log lifting up to 105 kg (with a maximum weight of 165 kg). He is the face of advertising campaigns for the animal rights organization PETA. - Olga Yaremenko [Russia, born 1988, vegetarian] - international master of sports in kettlebell lifting, multiple (6-time as of 2020) world champion. I became a vegetarian following the instructions of my trainer in 2011 (at the age of 23): “I have resolved many health problems that had tormented me for many years. My recovery after training has accelerated. I felt lighter in my body. Vegetarianism became one of the components of an integrated approach to my training, in which my athletic results began to improve. By the way, I set my records in kettlebell lifting already when I was a vegetarian.”
- Anil Kumble [India, born 1970, vegetarian] - cricketer. One of the most famous cricketers in his country, former captain of the national team, and now (since 2020) its head coach. Apparently he has been a vegetarian since birth. He himself comments on his choice: “Vegetarianism saves the lives of animals, and it cannot be beat in supporting a muscular body and endurance. Vegetarian food contains all the vitamins and proteins you need to be at your best without the fat, cholesterol and toxins found in meat."
Basketball, football, hockey
Robinson Neil
(Neil Robinson), born 1957, UK. The first professional football player to be vegan. At the age of 13, Neil became a vegetarian, and at 23, a vegan. "Player of the Year" for the 1985–86 season. He played in the second league of England.
Earl Robbie
(Robbie Earle), born 1965, Jamaica–UK. He played 33 matches for the Jamaican national team, scoring all the team's goals at the 1998 World Cup. According to the Vegetarian Society of Great Britain, he is a vegetarian.
In addition to individual football players, in the UK there is a fairly well-known vegan football club, Forest Green Rovers.
Zigomanis Michael
(Michael "Mike" Zigomanis), born 1981, Macedonia-Canada. Hockey player who plays in the NHL and AHL. Since 2011 I became a vegan. In 2013 he was awarded the Player of the Year award in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Walton Bill
(Bill Walton), born 1952, USA. Basketball player. A vegetarian since his youth. Two-time NBA champion.
Williams Ricky
(Ricky Williams), born 1977, USA. American football player, played in the NFL and CFL. Awarded the Heisman Trophy. For a long time I followed a strict vegan diet, only occasionally allowing myself a serving of yogurt.
Torre Washington
The American bodybuilder has followed a vegan diet since 1993. His parameters are 170 cm height and 70 kg lean muscle mass.
As you can see in the photos, for a dark-skinned guy with the ability to quickly hypertrophy, this is a pretty mediocre result. Especially if you compare him with the bodybuilder Ulisses, who has similar characteristics and is also dark-skinned, or with any other African-American who consumes meat.
“I want every person on Earth to become a vegan or vegetarian,” admits Torre. “I want everyone to realize that people and animals can coexist harmoniously with each other without pain and suffering, making the world a better place.”
Winter sports
Miller Bode
(Bode Miller), born 1977, USA. Skier. Olympic and multiple world champion. A vegetarian from an early age, the most successful American skier. The oldest Olympic medalist in alpine skiing.
Duhamel Megan
(Meagan Duhamel), born 1985, Canada. Pairs figure skater. Vegan since 2008. After changing her diet, she became a two-time world champion. Megan is the winner of the world competitions of the Four Continents Championship and the gold medalist of the Grand Prix Final. Megan says that eating a vegan diet helps with training and recovery after heavy exercise.
Teter Hanna
(Hannah Teter), born 1987, USA. Snowboarder, champion 2006. Six-time World Cup winner. After watching the movie Earthlings, she became a vegetarian and says that this food takes her as an athlete to another level. Hannah donated more than one hundred thousand dollars earned to charity. International representative of the Global Ambassador, as well as a participant in the Special Olympics for persons with disabilities.
Veganism and sports? Yes!
Of course, this is not a complete list of outstanding athletes whose vegetarian diet has been confirmed, but such examples - varied in type of workload and geography - should be enough to understand that plant-based foods and outstanding physical performance are not a myth, but a reality. Athletes have special nutritional requirements that are often very different from what “regular” people are used to, but even in such cases, veganism or vegetarianism becomes the right choice for getting all the necessary elements for gaining strength, speed, agility, endurance ... - everything that is needed for new achievements and world records.
Not everything that suits one will give the same result for others, but stereotypes about the lack of necessary substances in food of plant origin and the impossibility of having a healthy (and strong!) body with such nutrition clearly contradict simple facts, namely, the examples of people listed higher. And let the dissemination of such facts benefit everyone.
Other sports
Voevoda Alexey
, 1980 r., Russia. Bobsledder, two-time Olympic champion, also world champion in 2011. He is engaged in arm wrestling. Vegetarian since 2010. Sometimes he practices a raw food diet for 3 months. He says that giving up meat products has helped improve athletic performance.
Williams Venus and Serena
(Venus Williams, Serena Williams), 1980, 1981 r., USA. Tennis legends. Since 2011, Venus has switched to veganism to reduce her body's reactions to the autoimmune disease Sjögren's syndrome. Serena followed suit, wanting to support her sister. Now they are Olympic champions in doubles for 2012. Serena was also awarded gold in singles and Venus won silver next year in 2020. Serena is also the first racket of the world (WTA ranking) from 2013 to 2020; this is a record figure in history.
Deignan Lizzie
, born 1988, UK. Track cycling racer, world champion and silver medalist in the one hundred and forty kilometer group road race during the 2012 Olympic Games. Vegetarian since 10 years.
Weissmuller Johnny
(Johnny Weissmuller), 1904–1984, Hungary–USA. Swimmer, five-time Olympic champion. I switched to a vegetarian diet on the recommendation of my vegetarian doctor, John Kellogg. After that, he broke his own swimming record. Known as the actor who played Tarzan in films of the 1940s.
Torres Nava Ricardo
(Ricardo Torres Nava), born in 1954 Mexico. Conqueror of Everest and six other peaks of the world. "Sportsman of the Year - 1989" and "Sportsman of the Century" from the Mexican government. In an interview in 1999, Torres himself spoke about vegetarianism in his life.
Gelmanov Rustam
, born in 1987, Kazakhstan–Russia. Climber. Winner of the Bouldering World Cup. He was the first among Russian athletes to conquer the Action Directe 9A route. Vegetarian since 2005.
Baboumyan Patrick
(Patrik Baboumian), born 1979, Armenia–Germany. Former bodybuilder, now a strength athlete. Vegetarian since 2005, vegan since 2011. Holder of the status of “The Strongest Man in Germany.” Author of the world record for lifting longlifts up to 105 kg. The face of PETA's animal rights advertising campaigns.
Yaremenko Olga
, born 1988, Russia. International master of sports in kettlebell lifting, multiple world champion. Vegetarian since the age of 23, following the instructions of her coach. “My health problems were solved, recovery processes after training accelerated, lightness appeared in my body. Sports results are growing. I set my records as a vegetarian.”
Kumble Anil
(Anil Kumble), born 1970, India. Cricketer. Now Anil is the head coach of the national team. And previously, he was the captain of the national team and the main player. Vegetarian since birth. He says that vegetarianism saves many lives. That a vegetarian cannot be surpassed in terms of endurance, and vegetarian food contains all the vitamins and proteins we need, but without the toxins found in meat.
So is it possible - vegan and athlete? Definitely yes. And above is an incomplete list of people who have confirmed that veganism and sports are a good combination. And this fact is useful for everyone to know. The number of professional athletes choosing a plant-based diet for various reasons is growing every year.
Vegetarianism and bodybuilding
It's actually strange to watch a huge man who eats only beans and green salad.
Adherents of vegetarianism have now loudly declared that this is not the only thing their diet comes down to. This is undoubtedly true. But the fact remains: it has long been believed that in order to be a man, you need to eat meat. Now in the professional bodybuilding arena there are more vegetarian athletes every year. The interviews of such musclemen are surprising, in which they claim that they stopped eating meat after they saw the process of creating this product. Dead animals cause sadness and depression, so it’s easier not to eat all those chickens, cows and pigs. A healthy lifestyle now comes down to eating fruits, greens, legumes and vegetables. But let's figure out how plant foods allow you to build impressive muscle mass.
Nimai Delgado
This bodybuilder was a vegetarian for a long time, that is, he consumed milk, eggs and other sources of animal protein. The only thing he didn't eat was animal meat. In 2020, Delgado switched to vegan food. He uses pharmacology as he competes in the Men's Physics category.
His anthropometry is 175 cm with a weight of 77 kg. The difference in height minus weight is only 98, that is, Nimai’s build is similar to Torre Washington.
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12 is needed for the formation of new red blood cells and cell division. Vegans suffer from its deficiency because it is only found in animal products. An alternative source of vitamin B12 can be brewer's yeast or vitamin complexes. The same goes for zinc. It is recommended to take zinc and magnesium complexes (ZMA) at night for sound sleep and active testosterone production.
