Torre Washington Qualifies for Mr. Olympia With a Double Win at the Ben Weider Natural Pro

Vegan bodybuilder Torre Washington is going to the Olympia. He won both the Masters 40+ and Open men's physique classes at the Ben Weider Natural Pro today, earning a place at bodybuilding's biggest show in 2026, Generation Iron reports.

Winning the Open as well as the Masters matters. The Open has no age limit, so Washington, now in his fifties, was taking on the younger pros too. He was the only known vegan in the line-up, and he competes natural, without steroids.

It has been an emotional year. In June he won the 40+ class at the IFBB Las Vegas Pro, Great Vegan Athletes reported, and reflected on the recent death of his mother. He told Plant Based News the Ben Weider wins meant "so much" because they came ahead of her birthday. After the win, he said:

People have been telling me for years that I could not build this kind of physique without meat or steroids. Now I am stepping onto the Mr. Olympia stage as living proof that you can be fully vegan, all natural, steroid-free, and still stand with the best in the world.

Washington was raised vegetarian and went vegan in 1998, inspired by his Rastafarian faith and by the treatment of animals. "I became vegan in 1998 and saw the plight of animals and wanted nothing to do with their demise at the hands of humans," he told Plant Based News. On training days he eats tofu, seitan, Japanese sweet potatoes, rice cakes, lentils, greens and plenty of fruit, and he says being vegan helps his recovery.

Washington's team at Vegan Strong PlantBuilt is on a roll. The team won 48 golds at Mr. America last year, and this year Tom Butts won his third Natural World’s Strongest Man title and Angeline Berva set an axle deadlift world record. Vegan bodybuilders have been taking home trophies for years, and the sweet potato has always been a bodybuilder’s friend.

Next stop, the Olympia stage. No meat, no steroids, no problem.