Resilience Through Vegetarianism: Lessons from Elite Sport – By Hector Pardoe

Growing up vegetarian and becoming an elite athlete at the same time has taught me one thing above all else: resilience.

Long before I stood on Olympic start lines, I learned how to stand my ground in much smaller battles, in school canteens, changing rooms, and conversations with people who simply could not understand my choices.

As a child, being vegetarian was rarely celebrated. It was questioned, mocked, and misunderstood. I was teased at school and among my teammates, sometimes lightly, sometimes not. There were even moments when classmates went out of their way to “test” whether I really was vegetarian, slipping meat into my food as some sort of joke. It would have been easy to let that wear me down, to blend in, or to stop caring just to avoid standing out.

But sticking with vegetarianism taught me early that being different does not make you weaker. In fact, it often makes you stronger. When you are young and you learn not to bend to pressure, not to apologise for something you believe in, and not to give power to other people’s negativity, you build a toughness that lasts a lifetime.

As my swimming career developed, the comments changed but the message was the same. Instead of playground jokes, it became professional doubt. “Where do you get your protein?” “You can’t compete at the top without eating meat.” Again and again, people were certain that my choices would hold me back.

But they did not.

Vegetarianism never limited my performance. It supported it. It helped me recover, train consistently, and stay healthy through the hardest years of my career. Every time someone said I would not make it this way, it pushed me to focus harder, train smarter, and prove them wrong quietly, in the only place that really matters, in performance.

Resilience, to me, is not about being loud. It is about being steady. It is continuing when no one is clapping. It is holding your values when they are inconvenient. It is choosing your path even when it would be easier to follow the crowd.

Sport has also shown me that mental strength matters as much as physical strength. In marathon swimming, success often comes down to how well you manage discomfort, doubt, and fatigue. In life, it is not much different. There will always be voices telling you what you “should” be doing, who you “should” be, and how you “should” live. Learning when to listen, and when to politely ignore, is one of the most valuable skills you will ever develop.

Being vegetarian did not just shape my diet. It shaped my mindset. It gave me confidence, discipline, and perspective. It taught me that staying true to yourself is never the easy path, but it is always the right one.

And that, more than any medal or result, is something I will always be proud of.