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Vegan athlete Angeline Berva just won both the European Strongman Games and the Static Monsters World Championships 2025, where she set a new world record.
At the European Strongman Games, Berva completed eight reps of a 210kg axle deadlift and threw five 12-15kg sandbags in under 15 seconds to become champion. At Static Monsters, she set the world record for women’s under 82kg axle deadlift with a 301kg pull, more than 50kg heavier than her closest competitor.
Read more: Vegan Nun Receives Medal At First Powerlifting Competition Aged 72
“I’m 31 years old. I became vegan at 17 on a whim after watching L214 videos because I wanted to get involved in animal protection,” Berva told Plant Based News (PBN). “So I’ve built my entire sports career around being vegan.”
Berva is a member of Vegan Strong PlantBuilt, and previously competed at Mr America 2024, where the team won a total of 48 gold medals. In addition to her new European Champion title, the plant-based strength athlete has previously been France’s strongest woman five times, and in 2024 became the first French woman to complete a “car roll,” picking up a vehicle from the side and flipping it over.
“I want to show that you don’t need to eat corpses to be strong,” continued Berva. “And that’s why I was very happy to compete for Vegan Plant Built and show that you can win while being vegan.”
Read more: Vegan Crowned Natural World’s Strongest Man In Category For Third Year
Being a vegan athlete, performance, and health
An increasing number of high-profile athletes are excelling while following a vegan diet. Tom Butts, a competitive strongman and fellow member of PlantBuilt, was recently crowned Natural World’s Strongest Man for the third consecutive year.
“People think you need meat to be strong. I’m living proof that’s just not true,” Butts told PBN. “Three world titles. All natural. All powered by plants. My performance shows what’s possible when performance meets compassion.”
In May, a study found that there is no difference in muscle fiber synthesis between omnivores and vegans, suggesting a nutritious plant-based diet is just as good for building muscles as meat. A separate study, also from this year, found that vegans are “more in line” with nutritional recommendations overall compared to omnivores.
Read more: Vegan Bodybuilder Wins Overall Bikini Category At Tennessee Competition
