Sprinter Elijah Hall Says Going Vegan “Was The Best Decision” He Ever Made

The American sprinter, Elijah Hall, says: "Changing my diet was the best decision I could have made." The athlete made this decision to ditch meat and dairy from his diet three months ago because "he's on a mission" to win. Hall adds, "the effects that it’s having on my body is amazing. Becoming a plant-based athlete has opened many doors to my health and my training."

Hall holds records in the indoor 200 meters and was training for the Tokyo Olympics that were scheduled to take place this month, but was postponed a year due to the pandemic. Last year, Hall said he took the entire summer off to train, and he posted a video of himself at the track perfecting his push-off from the starting block "Took the summer off to get it right... Let’s get to it ‼️" his caption reads.

Adding to that kind of compulsion for perfection means looking at every possible angle to get more competitive. In a race where the difference between winning and second can be measured in hundreds of a second, every edge can slice off a sliver of a second. So this year, he's made the decision to change his diet to improve his speed and performance. “I wanted to approach my season differently than I ever have before, I have read about great athletes who have turned plant-based and have longer careers," Hall told VegNews.

Now that he and other athletes have an extra year to prepare for the games, changing the jet fuel they put into their bodies is a big part of their performance. More athletes are choosing to ditch meat and dairy to reduce inflammation and make their recovery times quicker, injury less likely and their muscles lean and strong to go for the gold. The documentary The Game Changers proved top athletes don't need to eat animal protein to be strong and win at endurance events.

Australian sprinter and Olympion, Morgan Mitchell, who was featured in the documentary, eats plant-based and said it gives her more energy. “I love it because you can always eat when you are a vegan. ... And I'll make something up for dinner: a vegan pizza with vegan cheese or noodles. When you learn to love it, it comes easy," she told VegKit.

In addition, the number one tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, who was also featured in the documentary, credits his plant-based diet for clearing up his allergies and helping him stay focused and positive on the court, especially during intense matches. Other professional athletes like Venus Williams, Cam Newton, Lewis Hamilton, Mike Tyson, Tia Blanco, Chris Paul, and more credit a vegan diet for better health, energy, and performance.