12 Little-Known FEMALE Vegan Athletes Who Are Absolutely Dominating Their Sport!

It seems that everyone is turning vegan nowadays! And although I wish everyone did it for ethical reasons, I absolutely embrace the fact that professional athletes are raving about the health and performance advantages a vegan lifestyle has given them!

And, I believe that a plant-based eater eventually gets to the ethical aspect of not harming other living beings.

All of the following female vegan athletes have adopted a vegan diet for different reasons, but what is most noteworthy is the fact that they are at the top of their respective sports.

Are you curious to know who they are?

Meet 12 famous female vegan athletes who are convinced that plants provide all the fuel they need to dominate their sport:

1. Morgan Mitchell

Morgan Mitchell just won her 3rd Australia title in the 400 meter dash. She’s an Australian sprinter specializing in the middle sprints. She’s looking forward to the World Championships coming up in London in July.

“I have been vegan for a year and a half. That’s really helped with everything: energy, health, the environment. I am one of those people who actually cares. It’s what I chose to do.”

She competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Check out her IG @morganmitch or contact regarding vegan inquiries at [email protected]

2. Tia Blanco

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Tia is a 19 year old pro surfer, having won the gold medal at both the 2015 and 2016 International Championships. The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which means Tia may very well be a female vegan athlete surfing for the United States in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games when surfing makes its official debut as an Olympic sport in Japan.

“I am rarely ever sore after my workouts. I also find myself reaching a higher athletic level. I have been a vegetarian since I was born and I just became vegan about in 2013.”

I did a lot of research about diet and saw what they did to animals on a documentary called, ‘Behind Glass Walls’.  I also read ‘The China Study’ and watched ‘Forks Over Knives’.  What I found was pretty horrific and informative at the same time.  I knew from that point on I was going to switch to a vegan diet…”

Contact Tia through her agent at [email protected]

3. Vanessa Espinoza

Vanessa is a 3x Colorado Golden Glove State Champion boxer. She played Division I basketball and had the opportunity to play in the WNBA, but decided on boxing instead.  She is an ardent female vegan athlete and dedicated animal rights proponent. She maintains a vegan diet focused on sports nutrition and is a trainer and consultant to those interested in vegan-based performance athletics. Check out her site at www.plantbasedmuscles.com

4. Steph Davis

Also check out: Why Vegan Athletes Admit They Had ‘The Worst Diet In The World …

Steph is a world class climber, base jumper and devoted female vegan athlete. She is the first female to ascend the Torre Egger and to free solo the Diamond on Long’s Peak. She is also the first woman to summit the Fitz Roy in Patagonia and the 2nd to free climb El Capitan. In an interview with Brendan Leonard, she said, “factory farming is abhorrent and no one should add one more penny of their money into sustaining it”.

Check out her site at http://stephdavis.co/

Image credit

5. Claire Foreman

Claire ‘Fury’ Foreman is a Muay Thai martial artist from Australia. In 18 fights, she has won 16, lost 2 and has won 3 by Knock Out. In an excerpt from her Facebook page, Claire states, “Nutrition is really important to me, and I predominately base my diet off plant based whole foods – i.e. lots of veggies, fruits, whole-grains, pulses, beans, sprouts and nuts/seeds. I gave up meat years ago and dairy just recently for ethical reasons and but it’s also been really beneficial for my fitness, recovery time and overall health.“

There’s a gym contact on Claire’s FB fan page at http://absolutemma.net.au/

Image credit and great interview with her here.

6. Hulda Waage

Hulda Waage is an Icelandic powerlifter and female vegan athlete.  She describes herself as a “Vegan Powerlifting woman with the aim of affecting public health.”

She has bench pressed nearly 309 pounds! Squatted 400! And in the overall competition lifted an astounding 1058 pounds.

Her web page is http://www.veganwaage.is/vegan.html and her IG is https://www.instagram.com/huldabwaage/?hl=en

7. Meagan Duhamel

Meagan is a Canadian Olympic figure pair skater who has won a silver at the Olympics in Sochi. She has medaled at 15 major international competitions.

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“I have been a vegan since December 2008 therefore I do not eat meat, milk, cheese or anything that comes from an animal.”

One of the benefits of being a female vegan athlere was she found it easier to control her weight, which was something her skate partner Eric Radford benefited from as he often has to lift her.  “I think for any pair team in skating the girls weight can affect a teams performance. Meagan is always in peak condition so lifting her is very easy.” However, her exploration of food meant that Eric confided in perhaps a negative effect of Meagan’s veganism on him was: “When I have to lift Meagan’s suitcase which is full of her food!”

In preparing for the 2014 winter Olympics she explained she was feasting on “homemade bread, pumpkin-apple butter, granola, cookies, trail mixes, and snacks like that.” She is also trains with vegan retired ice hockey star Georges Laraque for long distance runs.

“It’s great working with Meagan. She always has a ton of energy so even if I’m tired HER energy keeps me going.  She has brought some amazing vegan baking into the rink to share with everybody and everybody is always so surprised to hear it’s vegan!”

Meaghan’s Twitter contact is: https://twitter.com/mhjd_85?lang=en

8. Melody Schoenfeld

At 5’0” tall and 102 pounds of body weight, Melody can dead lift 255 pounds, benched 115 and squatted 180. She’s been a hardcore vegan for over 14 years and

Melody’s web page is: https://breakingmuscle.com/coaches/melody-schoenfeld

9. Raechelle Chase

Raechelle is a raw vegan fitness model and bodybuilder from New Zealand. She is a sponsored female vegan athlete for Sketchers Fitness, Body Ripped Sports Nutrition, Life Magazine and Nutrigenix and an IFBB Pro Figure competitor, fitness model & TV.

Her website is: http://www.raechellechase.com/

Please share with family and friends – these strong women will surely inspire and motivate them to consider a kinder way to eat!

10. Laura Kline

This multisport athlete has been both a competitive triathlete and a vegan for more than 10 years, and she isn’t afraid to put her veganism at the forefront of her public face.

Kline completed the Ragnar Cape Cod with her all-vegan running team, Strong Hearts Vegan Power. The Ragnar is a grueling relay race in which teams of 12 runners (six for ultra-teams) run 36 legs totaling almost 200 miles. Strong Hearts brought three teams to the event — that’s 36 incredible vegan runners from eight U.S. states — and finished first overall among co-ed teams and fourth out of all 512 teams. Not to mention, they raised more than $2,000 for the Tamerlaine Farm animal sanctuary. Just a few weeks later, Kline completed the Cayuga Trails 50 — her first 50-miler — officially entering the world of ultra-marathoners.

Kline’s social media posts aren’t limited to her latest races and rides (though those feature prominently); she also shares important animal and social justice issues. You can find Laura on her website, Laura Kline – Multisport Athelete, on Twitter at @LauraJKline, or friend her on Facebook.

11. Leilani Münter

Race car driver and passionate vegan Leilani Münter has been getting a lot of attention lately, especially since she was featured in Vegan Health and Fitness magazine, but she deserves another shout-out.

Münter has been vegan since 2011, and has delved into animal activism, becoming involved in protests against the dolphin hunts in Taiji, Japan, and posting about animal agriculture on her social media pages. Her recognizable tagline is “Never underestimate a vegan hippie chick with a race car.”

As if being a woman in a heavily male-dominated sport wasn’t challenging enough, she is an environmentalist in the carbon-dominated world of cars, and she has absolutely no fears about telling it like it is — she risked both ridicule and sponsorships by speaking out about global warming.

And if that’s still not enough for you, Münter puts her money where her mouth is. She doesn’t just talk about making the world a better place, she uses solar power to charge her personal car, works to bring more electric cars to market, and is even launching her own vegan clothing line in 2015. She is also a scientist, with a degree in biology.

Follow her on Instagram @leilanimunter or on her Facebook page.

12. Christine “Peanut” Vardaros, Cyclocross pro

One of my favorite things about Christine “Peanut” Vardaros — besides her incredible athleticism and forthright veganism — is her willingness to share both the good and the bad things about being an athlete. Her Facebook fan page is honest and fun, touching on the joy of training and racing, as well as the occasional misery of injury or a poor finish.

Definitely more joy than misery though; the Belgium-based pro cyclist and freelance journalist (she writes for CYCLOCROSS Magazine, Grit.CX, Start-Box.Be, Marin Independent Journal, Contra Costa Times, VegNews magazine, and others, and also works as a translator) clocks so many miles with such a grin on her face that you’ll want to hop on a bike and join her.

Besides all that, she is an incredible vegan advocate, speaking at animal rights events and moderating a Facebook group for Vegans of Belgium. She serves as spokesperson for The Vegan Society, In Defense of Animals, and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Being a former serious cyclist myself, Vardaros’ infectious energy and enthusiasm make me nostalgic for the bike. You can catch her on Facebook or on Twitter at @vardaros.

Article inspired from the great pieces here and here.