Lisa Gawthorne, an athlete and vegan advocate, says she is 'all about spreading the positive vibes associated with veganism'
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Vegan athlete Lisa Gawthorne has scooped gold at the World Championships in the sprint duathlon race, making her the new World Age Group Champion.
The achievement comes just six weeks after Lisa, from Formby, was crowned European Age Group Champion at the European Duathlon Championships in Italy.
The event, in Santa Eulalia, kicked off with a 4.8km run, followed by 19km on the bike, and a 3km run to finish.
It took Lisa 1 hr 5 minutes 17 seconds to finish, putting her across the finish line a full minute and six seconds ahead of the silver medallist.
‘Dream of dreams’ for Lisa Gawthorne
In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Lisa said: “I am so happy – I really didn’t expect this one.
“It was amazing to become European Champion, but this is a dream of dreams to go one step further, taking a World Champion title in my age group, amongst the best of the best in the world.”
There were 27 athletes in Lisa’s race, and she ‘ knew [she] needed to get out strong to try and maintain a good lead’.
After the event, she found out that she had taken the leading position 2km into the first run and managed to maintain and grow that lead throughout the race.
Speaking about the end of the race, Lisa said: “I had no idea where I was, as so many waves went off at similar times.
“It was only when I crossed the line and I heard them call my name as the winner that I realised I’d taken the gold medal.”
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Image © Lisa Gawthorne
20 years of veganism
The back-to-back athletic accomplishments come as Lisa celebrates two decades of veganism.
Alongside her sporting endeavours, Lisa runs a vegan food brand company Bravura Foods as well as being the author of vegan fitness book Gone in 60 Minutes and creator of the card deck resource The Vegan Deck.
In a bid to spread a positive message, she wears vegan-related logos on her sports kit, from organisations including The Vegan Society, PETA, and Veganuary.
She explained: “They are organisations that are very dear to me and pivotal in the industry.
“I am all about spreading the positive vibes associated with veganism, and in particular its beneficial effects in sport and overall athletic performance, which come as a nice extra for me as I have always been vegan for animal welfare reasons.
“It’s been an absolute joy to see how many of my GB team pals, and teammates from other countries who have decided to go vegan over the years, and have either reached out for advice or mentioned that I inspired their choice. This always makes me beyond proud.”
Want to learn more about this inspiring vegan athlete? Read our interview with Lisa Gawthorne
Featured image © Lisa Gawthorne
