Vegan Strong PlantBuilt team takes record medal haul

At their previous meeting they took 17 medals including 8 Gold.  Hopes were high that they would surpass this.  The team delivered, taking an incredible 41 medals this year including 32 Gold.

Spread across four sports, some of the best results were in powerlifting.  Captain and multiple world champion Ryan Stills took the overall win among his eight first places.  Competing in the 125 kg category, the veteran also oversaw Katya Gorbacheva‘s continued rise with three wins in the 75 kg category.

The powerlifting team was without Bradie Crandall who recently took a win at the US nationals.  Bradie was competing in the middleweight category in strongman.  He won the Ukrainian deadlift and the flag hoist, taking second in both the log ladder and car press to win the middleweight category.

This was one of three wins: Angelina Berva won the women’s heavyweight strongman event.  Meanwhile, Sophie Brock took the win at lightweight.

Ric Carroll was competing with a recently repaired Achilles tendon and was unable to give it all he had – but still took third in heavyweight.

Fit to win

The kettlebell team is new to the Vegan Strong PlantBuilt team, and Sara Lee ensured it started well with a win in the 20kg kettlebell marathon.

Crossfit went well too, with four wins in the Open.

Ashley Kitchens and Sally Andersen won the women’s Open Rx while George Matthews and Kody Kowalowski took first place in men’s CrossFitOpen Rx.

Team manager Giacomo Marchese was delighted that the planning had translated into a fantastic set of results.

“Mr. America provided a great opportunity for us to prove that plants have all the protein you need to be strong and healthy and to fuel wins at the highest levels!” he said.

The event also gave them an opportunity to meet with other competitors who may not have considered veganism.  The biggest news is usually who wins the event, and this made people take notice.

“We more than doubled our wins from last year” said Giacomo “and competitors asked how we were doing it.”

The growth in both size and success of the Vegan Strong PlantBuilt team makes many people wonder what’s next.  This impressive performance means that we can expect more from this exciting team.