Kiera Smith
powerlifter strong vegan
Kiera has been making a big impact on powerlifting, progressing to a podium position at the English Open at her first attempt.
- 427.5 kg total in the u69 kg category
- Silver at the All-England Championships
- Squatted over 160 kg
Starting to compete in 2024, Kiera lifted at Junior, regional and British level. In 2025 she totalled 387.5 kg in the ~69 kg raw category to place 4th at the Women’s All England Championships. A few months later she increased this total to 417.5 kg to take Silver at the Southern University Championships, and in May 2026 Kiera took Silver at the All England Open Championships with a 427.5 kg total.
The last of these was especially satisfying.
“I came 2nd at the All-English Powerlifting Championships 2026, and received an invite to be a reserve for the 2026 Commonwealth team,” she told our site. “This was definitely my favourite achievement to date. I had been competing for just over two years, and this competition marked a few firsts for me: my first 9-for-9 day [where all lifts were successful], my first national podium, and I finished the day with a 10 kg PB.”
She has a competition squat personal best of 162.5 kg and has benched 90 kg. Her deadlift best is 175 kg; all were achieved at the All England Open.
Vegan
“The few minutes of satisfaction from eating a meal with animal products is not worth the utter cruelty that the animals face.”
Kiera went vegan in 2021 after two years vegetarian and before she started training – so all results have been vegan. She notes that this means she has no direct comparison for the effect of veganism on her training. “But I can say I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been and more in tune with my nutrition than I would have ever been non vegan.
“The only major impact I had was socially — not having the convenience of an option at every restaurant.”
It’s something she is committed to now, and would not consider compromising.
“I would never sacrifice my vegan values when travelling. If that means I have to live off bread while I am away, then so be it. It has never been that bad, though — I always pack shakes and things to keep up with my nutrition, but I would be prepared to do so.”
Her move to veganism seems to have been a natural progression, and in childhood she always said she would be vegetarian when she was older.
“I think something was always in the back of my mind ever since childhood, and just the thought of eating meat made me feel very sick. The more I learnt about the animal agriculture industry, the more I could no longer justify eating meat, so I initially went vegetarian in 2019. I had just got my first job, so I bought my own food.
“Then the same thing happened — the more I learnt about the dairy industry, the less I could justify eating dairy products. So I went vegan when I moved out to university in 2021. The few minutes of satisfaction from eating a meal with animal products is not worth the utter cruelty that the animals face, and that same satisfaction and diet necessary for my needs can be achieved being vegan.”
Now she eats well and has no problem hitting her nutritional targets.
“I eat a lot of tofu — it’s so versatile and you can turn it into practically anything. I eat a lot of pasta dishes, stir fries and fajitas, as I can make them well balanced and they suit my macros. I also eat a lot of tempeh; I make bite size pieces, season them with various things and snack on them throughout the day. I also eat a lot of bananas and oats.”
It fuels her training, and there are no issues there.
“Being a powerlifter, my training consists of a lot of squats, benching and deadlifts. I also dabble in strongwoman, so I will occasionally incorporate that into my training around competitions. I train in the gym 3–4 times a week, and play netball twice per week, and this balance is really working at the moment.”
Kiera has a coach, and neither he nor anyone else has raised concerns about her veganism — perhaps an indicator of how far acceptance has come in strength sports. Or maybe it’s simply the fact that Kiera is so strong.
“My coach has no issues. In terms of nutrition, he sets my macros each week depending on what my bodyweight is doing, and I eat accordingly. It’s all achievable on a vegan diet.”
A lot has happened quickly — Kiera was aged 23 when she lifted 427.5 kg at the All England Championships — although more is planned.
“My main goal is to represent my country and get my first international cap. I am still yet to tick this off, but I am working hard to achieve this.”
Kiera knows that her vegan diet will support her all the way.
“I love being a female vegan in the strength world. I feel like I am disproving so many common misconceptions about vegans. I feel like there are so many of us proving that we can get strong without contributing to animal cruelty, and I am so proud to be a part of that.”