Gluten Free Olympians at the London 2012 Games
Our family has truly enjoyed watching all of the events of the Olympics. I thought it would be inspiring for the girls to see that Olympians are Gluten Free too!
Here's a rundown of the Olympians competing in London who follow the gluten-free diet:
Nate Brannen is a middle distance runner for the Canadian team who will be competing in the 1500-meter race in London. Brannen does not have a diagnosis of either celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Instead, his coach recommended that he try the gluten-free diet as an injury prevention strategy. He began the diet in 2011 and believes his body is much healthier when he eats that way ... and he has had minimum injuries, as well. Brannen competed in the 2008 Olympics, but missed qualifying for the final by slightly more than one second.
- Novak Djokovic, who's probably the best-known gluten-free athlete, won a bronze medal in Men's Singles tennis during the 2008 Beijing games, and this time wants the gold. He'll be competing for Serbia in both Men's Singles and Men's Doubles.
- Andrew Steele will run the 400-meter and the 400-meter relays for Great Britain. Steele, who also competed in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 for Great Britain, struggled through injuries and through a diagnosis with the Epstein-Barr virus until he switched to a gluten-free diet. British gluten-free food manufacturer Genius is sponsoring Steele's Olympic bid.
Jenn Suhr, the world's top-ranked female pole vaulter, cleared 15 feet, 1 inch at the U.S. Olympic trials to qualify for the London games. In 2011, she was diagnosed with celiac disease after suffering from non-stop cramping, weakness, dehydration and several injuries. Suhr, who is six feet tall, won a silver medal in the women's pole vault four years ago in Beijing and hopes to bring home the gold from London this time.
Dana Vollmer, a swimmer who qualified for the U.S. Olympics team in the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter freestyle relay, was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity and egg intolerance in 2011 after suffering near-constant stomach aches for years. She says the diet cleared that up, but also improved her performance. "I felt like I got a lot leaner but yet stronger" by going gluten- and egg-free, Vollmer told
USA Today in an interview.
Sadly,
Amy Yoder Begley, a runner from Portland, Ore., was supposed to compete in the 10,000-meter track and field event for the U.S. but was sidelined due to injury. Begley was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2006 after living with symptoms that included anemia, fatigue, bloating and frequent bathroom trips. She competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and took first in the 10,000-meter in the 2009 USA Track and Field Championships.
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