- [Narrator] Welcome back to
These 25 Vegan Athletes Fuel Up on Plants.
This is part two of a two-part series.
So if you haven't seen part one yet,
you can follow this link to watch it first.
With incredible titles, wins,
and championships to their name,
let's continue where we left off
with athlete number 14.
Number 14.
Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton is only
the third five-time Formula One champion
and is the biggest name in motor sport today.
The race car driver has won Grand Prix titles
across the globe,
including his recent wins in Monaco and Spain.
Hamilton went vegan in 2018
after watching Keegan Kuhn and Kip Anderson's
eye-opening documentary "What The Health".
- We've got a 35 billion dollar statin drug industry.
Do they ever wanna see that go away?
- [Narrator] Since then, he has become
a strong voice for animals.
Posting to his social media about issues
such as the Canadian seal hunt,
donkeys exploited for work,
and Iceland's return to whale poaching.
Hamilton recently teamed up with Tommy Hilfiger
to release a cruelty free clothing line.
Number 15.
Austin Aries.
This American wrestler is a superstar.
He has competed in WWE, Impact Wrestling,
and Ring of Honor.
Nicknamed the greatest man who ever lived,
he has won over 30 championships in his career.
Aries was a long-time vegetarian
before going vegan in 2011.
In 2017, he released his first book called Food Fight,
which details his vegan journey,
and explores the negative effects
of the meat and dairy industries.
He told website Great Vegan Athletes
that our current food system needs to be overhauled.
It's causing an epidemic of sick people.
Take the power back,
and put the nourishment of your body, mind, and soul
back into your own hands.
Number 11.
Allie.
Laura Dennis AKA Allie is a wrestling powerhouse.
The Canadian wrestler was a two-time champion
for Impact Wrestling.
She has made appearances and promotions around the world
and recently signed with All Elite Wrestling.
- If someone told me,
told 18-year-old Allie that she was going to
do some of the things that I've done,
wrestles in Japan, for instance,
I never, ever thought that would happen.
- [Narrator] Allie credits her vegan diet
for her muscle power.
She told Economic Times,
"I've been vegan since I was 14 years old.
"I don't eat any meat or dairy.
"I like to have junk food and sweets every now and then.
"But for the most part,
"it's spinach, tofu, and lots of fruits and whole greens."
Number 17.
Sarah Stewart.
This Australian has been playing wheelchair basketball
since her debut
at the University of New South Wales in 2001.
She was quickly named best new talent
for the Australian National Wheelchair Basketball League
and has acquired several MVP titles over the years.
Stewart has represented Australia internationally.
And her team took home gold medals
at the Asia Oceania 2008
and the 2012 Paralympic qualifiers.
Stewart has been vegan for 24 years
and proved to coaches that she could thrive on a vegan diet.
She said, "because I was knowledgeable
"about what I needed to eat, was strong in my convictions,
"and well prepared,
"they could not find fault in what I was doing.
"And in the end, I was often complimented
"on how well I ate,
"and how well I performed through our longer,
"more grueling tours."
Number 18.
Rich Roll.
Rich Roll is one of the fittest men in the world.
In his 40s, he completed Hawaii's Ultraman
as a top finisher.
As he continues to compete in his 50s,
Rich Roll's life transformation is inspiring.
In early adulthood,
he suffered from alcohol and drug addiction,
landing him in a rehab at the age of 31.
He got clean,
but was out of shape, and 50 pounds overweight.
Ahead of his 40th birthday,
Rich Roll decided to overhaul his life.
- And I had a health scare shortly before my 40th birthday,
I decided to change my life,
It didn't happen overnight.
It wasn't easy.
It wasn't linear.
But ultimately I found vitality through a plant-based diet.
- [Narrator] He became a dedicated vegan
and started training for marathons.
The ultra athlete penned a book about his journey in 2012
called "Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age,
"Becoming One of The World's Fittest Men,
"and Discovering Myself."
He also published a cookbook in 2014
and is the host of the popular Rich Roll Podcast.
Number 19.
Catra Corbett.
This woman has competed in over 250 ultramarathons.
Also known as the Dirt Diva,
the goth punk athlete once ran the 212 mile John Muir Trail
from Yosemite to Mount Whitney.
And at the end, she ran the whole way back,
completing 425 miles with the fastest time to date.
Her story also began with addiction,
as she struggled with a meth addiction in early adulthood.
She found sobriety after hitting rock-bottom
and her one clean friend encouraged her to train
for a 10-mile race with him.
Corbett fell in love with running.
With incredible records to her name,
Corbett has been vegan for the past 15 years
and credits her endurance to plant-based foods.
She believes that anything is possible
if you set your mind to it.
Her 2018 book, "Reborn on the Run", documents her journey.
Number 20.
Patrik Baboumian.
This strongman competitor and former body-builder
holds many records,
including the strongest man in Germany in 2011,
The same year he went vegan.
Crushing stereotypes,
Baboumian can carry 1200 pounds worth of weight
on his shoulders.
The strongman was vegetarian for five years
before adopting a vegan lifestyle
as he couldn't understand
why we would feel sorry for a bird with a broken leg
and proceed to eat another bird at a restaurant.
The athlete's incredible strength
proves that you can get enough iron and protein
on a vegan diet.
He once said that the strongest animals are plant-eaters,
including gorillas, elephants, and himself.
Number 21.
Hulda B. Waage.
This powerlifter also proves the strength of a vegan diet.
The Iceland native is also known as the Vegan Viking,
and qualified for the 2019 world championship
to be held in November.
She holds the bench press record with a 113 kilogram lift
and broke the national record for squat at 205.5 kilograms
before extending it twice, to 212.5 kilograms.
Waage became interested in veganism as a teenager
and was a vegetarian for years before going vegan in 2014.
She told Great Vegan Athletes,
"there is obviously no problem being vegan
"and training hard.
"It's pretty easy."
Number 22.
Dotsie Bausch.
This Olympic cyclist took home a silver medal in cycling
at the 2012 Summer Olympics against all odds.
20 years older than most competitors,
she was written off as too old.
Bausch stood on the Olympic podium
four months shy of her 40th birthday.
And she credits her plant-based diet for getting her there.
The athlete turned to cycling
after dealing with an eating disorder.
- [Dotsie] My Olympic career started very, very late.
I didn't even pick up a bike until I was 26 years old.
- [Narrator] And she quickly became passionate
about the sport.
She became aware of the cruelty of factory farming
and decided that a vegan diet motivated by compassion
was right for her.
She told animal rights organization,
Compassion Over Killing,
"With the same brand of determination
"that propelled me as an athlete,
"I made the choice to never eat meat again."
Bausch is a strong voice in the vegan athletic community.
She founded switch4good,
a platform that encourages people to ditch dairy
and dispels the advertised myths of dairy
being a good source of fuel for athletes.
- For good to me means
moving away from misery and pain
and suffering and a really scary food
that has been told to us that's a health food,
and it's not.
Number 23.
Kendrick Farris.
This weightlifter can clean and jerk
an impressive 438 pounds.
Farris is known as America's strongest weightlifter
and he is the only male competitor to represent team USA
at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
He holds the 94 kilogram American record.
Farris adopted a vegan diet in 2014,
after tracing his ancestry to the tribes of Israel.
His ancestors had followed a kosher diet,
but Farris told Men's Journal
that he didn't feel right
about the process of animal preparation.
He prefers to stick to beans, nuts, veggies, and avocado.
He said, "Now my body recovers a lot faster,
"I feel lighter, my mind is a lot more clear."
Farris also starred
in switch4good's dairy free Olympic campaign.
- I don't drink cow's milk
because it's not gonna do anything for my training,
it's not gonna do anything for my wellbeing,
but be a hindering.
It's just propaganda, you know?
We got sold.
Number 24.
Morgan Mitchell.
This Olympic sprinter represented Australia
at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
She made it to the semi-finals in the 400 meter
and the finals in the 400 meter women's relay.
Mitchell won a bronze at the Australian 800 meter in April
and is shifting gears to become a half-miler
in preparation for the 2020 Olympic games.
Mitchell has been vegan since late 2014.
In regards to her diet switch,
she told animal rights group PETA,
"That's really helped with everything,
"energy, health, the environment.
"I'm one of those people who actually cares.
"It's what I choose to do."
She is set to appear
in James Cameron's upcoming documentary, "Game Changers".
Number 25.
Zdeno Chara.
Boston Bruin's captain Zdeno Chara
has been playing in the NHL for 21 years.
Competing in the 2019 Stanley Cup finals,
this 42-year-old shows no signs of slowing down.
The hockey player credits his vegan diet
for making him stronger.
The decision to overhaul his diet was motivated by health,
his hockey career, and staying in shape
both mentally and physically as he ages.
And that's a wrap on 25 vegan athletes.
Which story inspired you most?
Are you a vegan athlete too?
Let us know in the comments.
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New videos every Tuesday and Friday.