Meagan Duhamel

Meagan Duhamel is a former world champion and Olympic gold medallist Canadian figure skater, who spent the final eight years of her career pair skating with Eric Radford.

Meagan began skating when she was just three years old and at the age of 14 she enrolled at the Mariposa School of Skating. She began breaking records in 2005 when she and her partner, Ryan Arnold, became the first pair to land a side-by-side triple Lutz jump in competition and the first pair to land a throw triple Lutz jump in international competition.

In July 2010, after a series of injuries, Meagan Duhamel was considering retirement but instead teamed up with Eric Radford to continue competing. The pair won a slew of silver and bronze medals at national and international championships. In 2015, they won their first Grand Prix Final title and gold in pairs at the 2015 World Championships. That year they won every international event in which they competed. In the following years, the pair’s success continued as they brought home medal after medal.

Duhamel and Radford ended their pair skating career on a high in 2018. They went out taking gold at the 2017 Skate Canada International, won their seventh consecutive Canadian National Championship, and a team gold medal at the S. Korea Winter Olympics.

Why Meagan Duhamel is vegan

Meagan Duhamel is vegan for the animals and for health.

Meagan Duhamel became vegan in 2008, after reading ‘Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want To Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous!’ by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. She immediately ditched the junk food and animal products and committed to a healthy vegan diet. Meagan’s choice to go vegan also coincided with the best period of her career and she says that going plant-based definitely improved her athletic performance.¹Smith, D. 2023. Olympic Skater Meagan Duhamel: Living the Plant-Based Dream. Plant-Based Cooking. Available: https://www.plantbasedcooking.com/plant-based-olympic-skater-meagan-duhamel/ [Accessed 16 October 2026].

Although health was the primary motivation for Meagan Duhamel’s switch to veganism, it soon became about the animals as well. She even rescued a dog from a dog meat farm in Korea:

“It became about compassion for animals. It started with nutrition-based reasoning, that’s why I started my vegan adventure, but the compassion that ended up coming for animals – I’ve rescued a dog from a dog meat farm in Korea. I’ve done so much incredible work and helped so many people, and I want to continue to do so. I want to live my life spreading the good word about what a plant-based life can do.”²Smith, D. 2023. Olympic Skater Meagan Duhamel: Living the Plant-Based Dream. Plant-Based Cooking. Available: https://www.plantbasedcooking.com/plant-based-olympic-skater-meagan-duhamel/ [Accessed 16 October 2026].

For Meagan Duhamel, being vegan isn’t just about what you put on your plate but about how you conduct yourself on a daily basis:

“Veganism means living compassionately. It’s not only a diet but a lifestyle. Being a vegan is life changing, not only for oneself but for the people around you. You’ll lead a more positive, patient and gracious life.”³Leigh-Chantelle. Interview with Meagan Duhamel: Canadian Vegan Figure Skater. Available: https://leigh-chantelle.com/viva-la-vegan-articles/32-articles/1442-interview-with-meagan-duhamel-canadian-vegan-figure-skater.html [Accessed 16 October 2026].