Great Vegan Athlete of the Year

We aim to keep this website up to date with news of some of the amazing achievements by vegan athletes featured here. This led us to consider which of the athletes had had the best year.

So each year we select some of the athletes and ask you to decide who is the Great Vegan Athlete of the Year. This has been running since 2012, here are the previous finalists and winners.

2012

In 2012 we held our first vote for Great Vegan Athlete of the Year.

Fiona Oakes was a popular finalist having completed the Marathon des Sables, 156 miles in extreme heat. She dragged a collapsed competitor to safety and went on to finish strongly.

Meagan Duhamel and her skating partner won their first National Gold, then took Silver in the International Skate Canada.

Andy Lally was already established as an all time great in rally driving, and added to his achievements with a win at the 24 hours of Daytona.

Wheelchair basketball player Sarah Stewart was also a finalist following her performance in the Paralympics where she helped Australia to the Silver medal.

Patrik Baboumian was voted the first Vegan Athlete of the Year in a year where he won the European powerlifting title in the Open Category. He went on to break two World records. He lifted a 150kg beer keg overhead, then held a 20kg weight out in front with straight arms (fronthold) for 86 seconds.

2013

In 2013 Meagan Duhamel was a finalist. She and Eric won another Canadian National Gold, breaking the points record. They also won Gold at the Four Continents, then a Bronze at the World Championships and a Silver at Skate Canada.

Boxer Cam Awesome had captained the American team. He won Golds at the US nationals, US Golden Gloves followed by tournament wins in Puerto Rico and Ukraine. He won Silver in the World Tournament and was ranked 9th internationally.

Fiona Oakes impressed many as she broke the world record for the fastest total time for a marathon on each continents and the those plus the polar ice cap. In doing so she set the course records for the North and South Pole marathons.

Patrik Baboumian took the title again. This year he had competed with the strongest men in the world at FIBO. He also set another World record with a 550kg yoke walk of 10 metres.

2014

In 2014 James Southwood made the final; he is a UK based of Savate. Savate is a fight sport based on English boxing and French kicking, and the World championships has been dominated by the French. James became the first ever British World Champion – on World Vegan Day!

Meagan Duhamel made the final again after retaining the Canadian title then won Winter Olympic Silver and World Championship Bronze.

Amateur boxer Cam Awesome won his 11th US National title at superheavyweight and won interntional Golds in Puerto Rico, the Cheo Aponto cup, the Pan American cup, the US Ringside World Championships, and then in Poland.

Ultramarathon trail runner Vlad Ixel won the 100km Thailand TNF with a course record and took six other wins.

Fiona Oakes was officially awarded world records for the fastest aggregate time for a marathon on each continent, the fastest time for a marathon on each continent plus the polar ice cap, and the quickest elapsed time for marathons on all continents plus the ice cap. She rebroke one of these after running a replacement South American marathon. She also ran seven marathons in seven days, finishing with a big win in the Stevenage marathon, and was awarded the win in Vegan Athlete of the Year.

2015

In 2015 five athletes faced the vote.

Veteran powerlifter Pat Reeves competed in the World Singles Powerlifting championships in the 65-69 age category, breaking her own deadlift record. Later she broke the world deadlift record in the 70-74 category, twice. She also broke the British Bench Press record.

Heather Mills set five World Records in disability winter sports, in Bobsleigh, Skeleton Bobsleigh, Ski Jump, Speed Skating and Speed Skiing.

Pairs Skater Meagan Duhamel and her partner won their fourth Canadian title, setting three points record in the process. They also won the Four Continent Gold and set their sights on the World Championships, where they took Gold and the title World Champions.

Vlad Ixel had a prolific year where he won six races and took eight second places.

Scott Jurek capped an amazing career when he took on the record for the Applachian Trail, a 2189 trail with height gain of 3400 miles per day. He completed it in 48 days and took the record despite an injury and some of the worst weather on record. Scott was voted Vegan Athlete of the Year for 2015.

2016

In 2016 three finalists competed for votes surfer Tia Blanco was the second youngest athlete on the whole site and had recently progressed from Junior to the Open category (full adult). She won the World Surfing Games, beating 70 other women surfers, and helped the USA team to third.

Vlad Ixel spent the year running in tough events, mainly trail races at ultramarathon distances. He recorded an amazing 16 victories and set 9 course records. He also competed at the World Trail Ultra Championships where he was the first finisher from the Southern Hemisphere, finishing 25th of 202 runners.

Meagan Duhamel had been the only athlete who had been a finalist in every Vegan Athlete of the Year vote. The pairs skater and partner Eric Radford won their fifth Canadian National title and successfully defended their National title to become World Champions again. They continued to push boundaries and attract acclaim for their performances. After four previous final appearances, Meagan was voted Vegan Athlete of the Year 2016.

2017

Strength played a big part in 2017.

Powerlifter Ali Crowdus was invited to the Arnold Sports Festival where she beat her own massive personal bests. She later broke four Ohio state records, with her 227kg bench later being recognised as the 12th biggest of all time.

Racquetball player Cody Elkins was 12 when he competed in the World Championships. He won his age group and that for older players, becoming a double world champion.

Julia Trezise-Conroy broke her own powerlifting records severl times, taking all in her category, and also competed successfully at the World Championships.

Hulda B Waage broke her own records several times, and was the highest ranked femal lifter at the Icelandic Championships. She was voted Great Vegan Athlete of 2017.

Be sure to check the site in November and December to see the next Vegan Athlete of the Year vote.