The British powerlifter Sophia Ellis has won her third title at the BP Eleiko British Open Classic Championships, which took place on 16th March 2023. Representing Team GB, the 26-year-old has spent the last year with both knees affected by quad tendonitis but this was not an obstacle she could not overcome. She scored her personal best of 175 kg, a massive lift for someone in the 76 kg category.
Sophia Ellis benched 120 kg before attempting to beat her own British deadlift record. Her lift of 242.5 kg broke her own British deadlift record and was also an unofficial European deadlift record. Ellis also broke the British total record twice on her second and third deadlifts, ending with 537.5kg. Ellis, who began competing in powerlifting in 2018, now holds more than 20 national and international records
Speaking to Plant Based News in 2022, Ellis said, “It has been a combination of things that I feel has helped my athletic career; diet is obviously a huge part of recovery and being vegan has definitely helped me to optimize this alongside keeping training consistent, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and managing stress levels etc. As long as I am eating enough and a good balance of foods then my recovery rate is a lot quicker and I feel so much more fueled and energized for training sessions. It is important for people to realize that it is the foods you eat which make a big difference – you can go vegan but if you are restricting / not eating enough nutrient-dense foods then you won’t reap all the benefits that veganism has to offer! I have been vegan for 10 years now and a powerlifter for four years. It is so great to be able to continue to break down misconceptions around this lifestyle and show people that you can be strong and vegan!”
