Over multiple decades, vegan athletes have consistently defied assumptions about diet, endurance and strength. The performance of plant-based athletes is not only comparable to omnivorous athletes, but often leaves the competition dead in the water. Numerous champions, in every field of sport, attribute at least part of their success to how they fuel their performance.

For over 16 years, GreatVeganAthletes.com (GVA) has documented the rise of vegan athletes, conducting interviews with these elite competitors. Cris Iles, who founded the website and social media presence, has a passion for sharing athletes’ stories, in particular, how and why they chose to live vegan and how it has improved their sporting performance.

Britain’s Strongest Man

Just recently in May 2025, vegan strongman Tom Butts won the coveted title of “Britain’s Strongest Man” in the 90 kg category at the Official Strongman British Championships.

Events were heavy.  They included a 280 kg Axle Bar deadlift which he won with 4 reps, and 140kg bag carry which he also won with 110 metres.  130 kg atlas stone to shoulder was another win with 2 reps in 22 seconds, showing Tom can perform statically as well as moving events.

Perhaps most impressive is that Tom regularly competes in drug-tested competitions (which forbid the use of steroids) and he competed drug-free when he claimed the title. Unlike some other competitions, the Championships do not require drug testing, and therefore Tom would undoubtedly have competed alongside steroid users.

“I saw humans as just another animal species.” says Tom. “I think me going from not at all veggie to fully vegan and then still getting stronger, is a great thing to appeal to men especially who are obsessed with meat and think it’s essential to optimise their progression in the gym.”

See Tom Butt’s GVA profile

Home grown Olympian

Closer to home, Morgan Mitchell is a two-time Olympic Aussie sprinter who was featured in hit documentary “The Game Changers”. In an interview with Nourish: Plant-Based Living, Morgan recalls being encouraged by her partner to try vegan, citing environmental issues and animal cruelty concerns. She said, “For some reason it just clicked, no questions asked, and I switched to a vegan diet.” The performance benefits came thereafter, and the key benefit? “Recovery, for sure. It’s incredible!”

See Morgan Mitchell’s GVA profile

Vegan Arm-Wrestler

Sasho Andreev is the epitome of an arm-wrestler – stocky with broad shoulders, bulging biceps and thick forearms. Many people would be astonished to learn that not only has he been vegan for 6 years, but by 2024 he had taken 11 national titles and in the same year retained his European title. He also retained his world title after competing in Canada against the world’s best.

Refuting a baseless claim often made against vegan athletes, Sasho stated “I have never tried steroid or anabolic ingredients.” Much of his competition has been with the World Armwrestling Federation, who have an anti-doping policy and conduct testing. They catch and ban arm-wrestlers for steroid use.

See Sasho Andreev’s GVA profile

Discover the stories of more vegan athletes

In 2022 Animal Liberation Victoria and its Vegan Easy campaign partnered with Great Vegan Athletes. We remade their website from the ground up, making it easier than ever to explore, and Cris Iles does an amazing job keeping the content up to date.

If you’re interested in sports and learning more about how living vegan has benefited elite athletes, check out the website:

greatveganathletes.com