Athletes who are vegan: Ranking the 15 most successful vegan athletes

Many participants in the athletic world care a lot about their health since it actively affects their performance on the field. The more energetic you are, the more performance is expected from you. This then narrows down to the food they eat, increasing the number of athletes who are vegan.

This also has led many athletes to change their eating habits to improve their game power. However, some have completely different reasons for veganism depending on their upbringing or environmental-related issues. We will then take a look at the top vegan athletes in the world.

15. Rob Bigwood

Rob took up arm wrestling in 2000. After a tournament in 2002, he felt uncomfortable eating meat and decided to move towards a vegetarian diet. Like many people, he believed that meat was essential for building strength.

Ranking the 15 ugliest football players in the world

Football

"My body did not feel right at the beginning, and it took a couple of weeks to adjust without the meat. Eventually, I began to gain energy and consistently lost weight. I have never felt better in my entire life and it was one of the smartest decisions I ever made."

14. Ryan Stills

Ryan has been a world-class powerlifter for several years, making his mark at the highest level against the strongest opponents. In 2021, he bagged a category win at the World Championships in Sweden. He also took the Best Lifter award.

"Once I came to the determination that I could not allow myself to have excuses as to why I couldn't do this, I vowed to find a way to do it. And I have."

13. Pat Reeves

In 1977, when she was 32 years old, Pat was diagnosed with a serious genetic. The devastating news led to her adopting a wholefood vegetable diet. As a result, her health has improved, and the 'terminal' cancer has been in remission. Meanwhile, she continues to live a full and incredible life.

NBA Players' tattoos: Which NBA player has the best ink?

NBA

"I have now followed a plant-based eating regime for forty-four years," said Pat in 2009 "– wow – that's so long! I credit my current excellent health and phenomenal energy to this food preparation method and my ability to stay on top of genetically-fueled cancer."

12. Mike Fremont

Mike Fremont has set the boundaries of what is believed to be done. He retains world records and a level of incredible fitness level. At age 99, he runs regularly. He retains a sharp mind and excitement for the sport.

He broke national US records for his age category through his 80s, where the categories are five years periods. Mike broke world records for single-year age categories, and ten years on still holds them both. He has run the world's fastest marathons for those aged 88 and 90.

11. Nick Kyrgios

A plant-based diet fuels the controversial sportsman's impressive prowess. However, unlike many athletes whose primary motivation for being plant-based is their health, Kyrgios is also vegan for the environment. The Australian tennis star was inspired to go vegan after the devastating fires that ravaged Australia in 2020 and killed many animals.

Ranking! Who are 20 of the most Influential NBA players of this decade?

NBA

10. Venus Williams

The tennis pro went plant-based after being diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease. The syndrome causes joint pain and fatigue, which could have led to the end of her tennis career. Nonetheless, a vegetarian lifestyle allowed the tennis champion to manage her disease without a dose and continue playing the sport she adores.

Moreover, she launched her vegan protein brand, Happy Viking, to help aspiring vegetable-eating athletes recover after workouts and maintain muscle. She has even inspired her sister Serena to adopt a plant-based diet during her tours, adding to the list of famous vegan athletes.

She reportedly fuels herself with meals such as oats with strawberries, toasted Ezekiel bread, and brown rice with hemp and chia seeds answering the question of what vegan athletes eat.

9. Patrik Bouboumian

In 2011, he became Germany's strongest man – the first-ever vegetarian to do so. Bouboumian is impossibly strong, and watching him power lift could convert any meat-eating gym-goer to veganism. He became among the male athletes who are vegan.

15 best footballers who smoke: A list of footballers who take the occasional puff

Football

"This is a message to all those out there who think that you need animal products to be fit and strong. Almost two years after becoming vegan I am stronger than ever before and I am still improving day by day. There are plenty of plant-based protein sources and your body is going to thank you for stopping feeding it with dead food. Go vegan and feel the power!"

8. Hannah Teter

The snowboarding Olympic gold champion cut out animal products completely and is now one of the Olympic athletes who are vegan, changing the face of the sports world.

"My plant-based diet has opened up more doors to being an athlete. It's a whole other level that I'm elevating to. I stopped eating animals about a year ago, and it's a new life. I feel like a new person, a new athlete."

7. Morgan Mitchell

A list of footballers with autism in the world right now

Football

Two years after commencing the plant-based diet, the sprinter, at 21 years, won the 2016 Olympics in Rio, marking herself among the female vegan athletes. When asked what her teammates thought of her diet by Great Vegan Athletes, she explained:

"After running PB after PB on my vegan diet I don't think they could argue at all. There is still banter sometimes but you just have to shake it off and laugh. I just have to reiterate the fact that the life of an animal and the wellbeing of the environment means more to me than any amount of money or the career path I wish to take because without them we wouldn't have life."

6. Alex Morgan

The FIFA Women's World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist is now a fierce proponent of a plant-based diet for peak athletic performance. Furthermore, in 2019, she was named PETA's most beautiful vegan celebrity alongside her fellow Kyrie Irving.

Guardiola hails humility of Man City stars to welcome Haaland

Football

"I never thought it was possible I could be playing at an elite level as a professional athlete with a plant-based diet. Then I realized it wasn't detrimental at all. I am passionate about giving animals a voice. I adopted a vegetable diet because it didn't feel fair to have a dog I adore and yet eat meat all the time."

5. Dotsie Bausch

The American Olympic silver medalist is a growing vegan speed cyclist and passionate lover of animals. After retiring from competitive sport, she founded Switch4Good – a non-profit 'rattling accepted norms around dairy and health. She admitted to OMD that she was worried being a vegan would impede her performance, explaining:

"I found, however, the switch to plants had the exact opposite effect—I felt like it became my secret weapon. I could breathe better during training and literally ride circles around my teammates who were many years my junior."

US coach praises players for stand against sexual abuse in football

Football

4. Novak Djokovic

The world's number one tennis player follows a plant-based diet for optimal athleticism. At 34, Djokovic should be nearing sporting retirement, but he is still at the top of his performance.

"It's a lifestyle more than just a diet because you have ethical reasons as well, being conscious of what is happening in the animal world.

The slaughtering of animals and farming and everything, that's obviously also a huge impact on climate change which maybe people don't talk about as much. It's more than a performance reason for me, it's a lifestyle, it's something I'm really proud of."

3. Tia Blanco

The plant-based surfer's sporting career positively turned in 2013 after switching to a purely plant-based diet. Just three years later, in 2016, she became the first surfer to win back-to-back gold medals post-1996 at the World Surfing Championships aged 19.

Being brought up in a vegetarian home has made the athlete a vocalist about her passion for veganism on her social media platforms. She recently posted about celebrating World Vegan Day with a plate of plant-based goodness.

All NBA players who dated the Kardashians ranked: Kardashians and Ballers

NBA

2. Scott Jurek

The ultra-runner proves that you don't need meat or dairy to scale the heights of athletic performance. He covered the distance of the Appalachian Trail in a record-setting 46 days, eight hours, and seven minutes. Not to mention that he's taken first place in just about all the ultra-running world's most high-profile races.

"A lot of people assume that one needs to eat animal products to gain a lot of muscle mass or sufficient muscle mass for even power sports, and that's definitely been proved false time and time again."

1. Lewis Hamilton

This one may not surprise some vegetarians, as the racing champion has his chain of vegan fast-food restaurants, Neat Burger. Hamilton is an outspoken supporter of animal rights, having made the plant-based switch in 2017 after watching the Netflix documentary What the Health and is ranked among the greatest vegan athletes.

Brighton's Mwepu forced to retire from football with heart condition

Football

Before watching it, he claimed he was "on a mission to go plant-based" as "animal cruelty, global warming, and our personal health is at stake." His success so far and changing energy have been credited to his vegan diet. Speaking to Men's Health magazine, Hamilton explained: "I have more energy; I'm so much more productive. I wake up feeling way better, clearer in thought and fresher in my body."

"I recover quicker; I sleep better. My skin cleared up. I have fewer allergies. There are just so many impacts. I'm physically in better shape than I've ever been, and I'm more successful than ever right now, and my plant-based program has played such a big role in that."

With the common and proven perception that animal products are not good for sportspeople, there exists athletes who are vegan. Big names in the sporting world, such as Lewis Hamilton and Novak Djokovic, grace the list.

Zambian star Enock Mwepu breaks silence after he was medically advised to retire from football at 24

Football

READ ALSO: Zamalek vs Al Ahly: Which is the best football team in Egypt?

Sportsbrief has recently posted about Egyptian clubs. Zamalek and Al Ahly are the strongest teams in the Egyptian Premier League, commonly known as the WE Egyptian Premier League (WE EPL).

The teams are fierce competitors because they all come from the same city and have similar track records of success. Football fans and sports analysts are constantly debating which of the two teams is superior or the greatest in the Egyptian League.