Sarah Kashdan
powerlifter strong vegan
- Open and Submasters winner, Mr America Sports festival
- Cancer survivor
- 300 lb deadlift
From four recorded meets she’s taken four wins and a second, including a win in both the Open and Submasters at the Mr America Sport Festival 2023.
The 56 kg (raw) lifter has benched 62.5 kg and deadlifted 137.5 kg. Sarah’s squat stands at 105 kg.
The 137.5 kg breaks the 300 lb barrier, and she did this in 2024.
“This was 2.5x my bodyweight and a number I had missed in previous competitions” she says. “I was very excited to hit that milestone.”
Sarah is a member of the Plantbuilt team who are all vegan and drug -free. She has been vegan since 2013, six years before her first competition.
“I went vegan after having ovarian cancer” Sarah explains. “It was a huge part of my healing. I also love animals and never felt right eating them. It was a very easy transition for me because I didn’t consume a lot of animal products to begin with.”
Thankfully Sarah recovered full health and is cancer free. She now trains three times per week in a powerlifting gym and also enjoys yoga and hiking.
Vegan Power
“I eat 100% vegan all the time. I use products that are certified vegan and not tested on animals.”
As Sarah is keen on the health aspects of eating as well as the ethics, she avoids processed foods.
“I eat as much whole foods as possible. I eat a lot of vegetables, fruits and homemade meals. I tolerate tempeh and tofu well. I do not eat much processed food or imitation meat products.”
Team Vegan
As well as working with the Vegan Strong Plantbuilt team, Sarah’s in the enviable team of having a vegan coach. Multiple world masters champion Ryan Stills is captain of the Plantbuilt powerlifting team and Sarah’s coach.
There are plenty of non vegans at her gym, but that’s not an issue.
“While most of the people at my gym are not vegan, it is not an issue at all. I generally find that people respect and support my lifestyle.”
Now approaching the Masters categories, Sarah has plans to continue competing.
“I will be 40 this year and can start competing as a masters athlete” she says. “There are lots of opportunities for growth and wins in that category.”
“I like to show that you can be healthy on a vegan diet. I have my labwork checked yearly and it always looks great. While animal welfare is a big part of my veganism, I also promote health and am very wary of the processed vegan food trends. I will always prioritize my personal health in addition to my love of animals.”