Vegan powerlifter takes world record at European Championships

Belgian powerlifter, Sahy Lalime, breaks squat world record

Sixty-three kilogram powerlifter, Sahy Lalime, went into the European Open Powerlifting Championships in Malaga, Spain, confident she could build on previous success.

She told Great Vegan Athletes: “Over the last months I have been laser focused on improving on all levels, from sleep to movement to nutrition to mindset – every little detail matters. I’ve assessed my weak points and put steps in place to improve them.”

Her work paid off in spades. Malaga saw Sahy break the world record for squat in the M1 63 kilogram division. The 182.5 kg squat is massive for the division and incredibly close to three times Sahy’s bodyweight. It was one of 11 records at national level or above she broke that day – including the M1 European record for a total in competition.

Watch the squat that broke the world record

First Europe, next the world

As a Belgian resident, Sahy’s won the national championships several times and recorded excellent placings in international competition, including the world championships. Incredibly, she’s looking to push things further after this recent performance:

“I’m ready to come back swinging at Worlds in Germany. This was just the warm up! The final key has been improving my self-belief and focus. I’ve had periods in the past where powerlifting was not my priority, but thankfully, I now have the time and energy to devote myself fully to the sport. My belief in myself has never been truly concrete – until now. I think deep down I doubted that I had the ability to rise to the highest level. But recently, something clicked. I now find myself with a clear vision to the top, full of determination and this new unshakable belief that I can make it there.”

 

Where do you get your protein?

Sahy has been vegan for around 10 years, following 12 as a vegetarian. The decision to go veggie was “based purely on not wanting to kill animals. Having experienced the trauma of losing my mother when I was kid, I became very sensitive to death and didn’t want to take part in bringing that type of pain and suffering to others.”

She eats plenty of bananas, peanut butter, blueberries, tofu, rice, broccoli, cucumber and kale and says, “I also eat lots of protein smoothies, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, black beans, tempeh, seitan, quinoa, bulgur and seasonal fruit and veggies.”

Content sourced and adapted, with permission from Great Vegan Athletes