GreatVeganAthletes.com makes its yearly pick of the top meat-free athlete

Canadian and world pairs figure skating champion Meagan Duhamel has earned another feather for her cap.

She didn’t earn this one on the ice, though — she earned it in the kitchen.

GreatVeganAthletes.com has chosen the Duhamel as its Vegan Athlete of the Year 2016.

The website points out that Duhamel has been a finalist for athlete of the year for several years, but it’s been an “always a bridesmaid and never a bride up to this point.”

Well not any longer — 2016 is Duhamel’s year.

This year, Duhamel and her skating partner Eric Radford won the Canadian pairs title for the fifth time and defended their world title. The duo will be back in action in January trying to win their sixth national championship and in March they’re off to Helsinki, Finland to try to win their third world championship.

"I'm honoured to be recognized in the vegan sports community with this recognition," she told GreatVeganAthletes.com. "I have been a proud vegan for nine years now. It started for health and nutrition reasons, but it has grown into so much more. Animals and food have now become a great passion of mine."



Duhamel has been vegan since 2008, after reading the book “Skinny Bitch”.

While the book suggests easing into veganism, Duhamel told GreatVeganAthletes.com she dove in with both feet.

"So many people tell me they could never be vegan. I just wish people would understand and realize that it's really not that difficult, and it's a choice that we make,” she told the website.

“I think that it is in everybody's grasp to be able to make a decision like switching to a vegan lifestyle. One of my proudest accomplishments has been going vegan."