Getty Team Canada's Tammara Thibeault will represent her country in Tokyo.
Tammara Thibeault wants to make the world a better place, so the 24-year-old made the best possible move. She decided to change herself.
Thibeault is one of Canada’s best hopes at garnering Olympic gold in Tokyo later this year, and the women’s middleweight boxer will enter the biggest fights of her boxing life championing a vegetarian lifestyle.
Thibault revealed to Heavy both her food journey and her boxing started with the same kind of mindset: making those important decisions and following through. She also explained why she chose to become a plant-fueled athlete.
“Since I’ve been a very, very, very little girl, I’ve just been super cautious about the world I live in and my environment, and I’ve always wanted to do something to help leave the planet a better place,” Thibeault said.
So Thibeault transitioned to vegetarianism, and now she feels she’s on her way.
“If I could do that…just make my carbon footprint just a little bit less, then it was a win,” Thibeault said.
You can watch Heavy’s chat with Thibeault below.
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Like Boxing, Vegetarianism Took Time
Thibeault describes herself as stubborn. She first tried to go meatless at the age of 18, but she didn’t find her groove in that realm until around three years later.
Since making the switch, Thibeault has picked up a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games, a bronze medal at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships, and qualified for the Olympics.
Still, it wasn’t always an easy road to travel for an athlete always on the move around the globe. Thibeault said she’s the one on the team who always has to bring a suitcase full of food with her wherever she goes.
“Boxing isn’t a very luxurious sport, so you don’t have the luxury of always choosing what you want to eat when you travel places,” Thibeault said.
Regardless, Thibeault feels better than ever, and she attributes that to her healthy lifestyle.
“My blood tests come back great, and I’m super healthy…I perform well, and I feel better,” Thibeault said.
Thibeault is sponsored by Vejji, a company that aims to build the world’s largest online vegan marketplace.
“I know how hard it can be to get your specific things. You have to go to three or four different stores, and it just becomes a hassle,” Thibeault said.
But Vejii features thousands of plant-based products from different brands, and the company hopes to make lifestyles like Thibeault’s accessible to all.
“It’s there. There’s no headache,” Thibeault said.
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Team Canada’s Boxing Star Remembers Important Decision
Remarkably, Thibeault’s rise in boxing came about in a similar way as her vegetarian lifestyle.
Thibeault remembers seeing her dad compete in a boxing match, and she decided right there she wanted to do the same thing someday, too.
“I remember he knocked this guy out cold. He fell like a tree. I was like, ‘wow, that’s so cool. I want to learn how to do that’,” Thibeault said.
Shortly after that experience, Thibeault witnessed the first women’s boxing matches in Olympic history in 2012, along with the rest of the world.
Upon seeing them, Thibeault decided she wanted to represent her country someday in the Olympics, too.
Doing that required the same method she used years later to become a vegetarian. It came down to two basic ideas.
Thibeault said those were, “I want to do this” and “How are we going to do this?”
Thibeault is expected to medal in Tokyo in the women’s middleweight division, but the six-foot southpaw said she would continue her path to that important goal the same way she does everything.
Thibeault is going to enjoy the process.
“I want that gold medal around my neck. I do. But I think it’s important to remember…that it’s a process. It’s the little things that you do every day that make the difference,” Thibeault said.
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