Champion Vegan Sprinter Heads to Rio Olympics

Australian sprinter Morgan Mitchell was recently profiled on The Daily Telegraph regarding the advantages she says she has gained since adopting a vegan diet in 2014. The Olympian is slated to compete in the 400-meter dash for Australia, and says she feels mentally and physically “lighter and cleaner” than she did as a meat-eater. The 21-year-old went vegan after seeing an animal-rights documentary that “talked about what was happening in the environment and how much animal slaughter goes on and will only get worse,” Mitchell said. “I thought ‘God, I don’t want to contribute to that’. I love animals, so watching them get taken from their mothers made me really sad.” Going vegan took weight off both Mitchell’s conscience and body: she’s since lost three kilograms (approximately seven pounds), and she shaved .6 seconds from her personal best last month. Mitchell went undefeated in the 2016 season, winning 12 races to earn her spot on Australia’s Olympic team. Some of the foods that give Mitchell her competitive edge include smoothies, tofu burgers, noodles, rice, dates, and chia seeds.