Vegan Strongman Breaks Weightlifting Record

Proudly
wearing an “I Am a Vegan Badass” T-shirt, Patrik Baboumian (aka “Germany’s Strongest Man“) set jaws agape at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival
on Sunday when he harnessed himself to a yoke loaded with more than 1,220
pounds—roughly the weight of a thoroughbred horse—and toted it across a stage.
The feat unofficially set a new world record (Guinness can verify the record only
after it receives documentation) and added to Baboumian’s growing list of world
records, including for log lifts and overheard beer keg lifts (he does live in Germany, after all).

Photo from Rich Roll’s  Instagram

Inspired to become a weightlifter
because of the violence that he witnessed as a child in his native Iran,
Baboumian went vegetarian in 2006 and vegan five years later because he wanted
to help stop violence against animals. “One day, I just thought, if you
see a bird with a broken leg, you really have the urge to do something about it
and help the bird,” he says. “Then, at the same time, you go to a
restaurant and eat a chicken or something. It doesn’t make any
sense.”

As
for the point of his record-breaking feat, which even he admits was a little
crazy, he says he did it because he wanted to inspire people and break
stereotypes about meat-eating tough guys. Mission accomplished, Patrik.