As you may know, people around the world fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. This means that no food or water can be consumed during the daytime. Despite this physical challenge, many athletes who follow Islam fast while training and competing. Some athletes also practice intermittent fasting, which is a method used for health purposes rather than religion. In both forms, fasting has a unique effect on athletes. First, you have the obvious impact that results from a lack of food and drink over extended periods of time – hunger and occasional fatigue. However, when fasting, people usually set aside time to eat prior to the period of fasting, so that they still get the nutrition they need. When diving deeper into the scientific aspect, professionals and experts have found that fasting has positive effects for blood sugar control, brain function, heart and cardiovascular health, and disease prevention. Many athletes who fast also perform very well when doing so – though a connection between fasting and performance has not scientifically been established – and whether athletes fast due to their religion or because of health purposes, it can be seen as a pretty impressive athletic feat. Let’s take a look at five athletes who fasted while competing over the course of their careers.
Kyrie Irving
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has said that fasting during games has been an “adjustment” for him. With that being said, his performance hasn’t seemed to take a hit at all. He has been continuing his high level of play, while also spreading awareness about fasting in the NBA. Below is a video of Kyrie Irving breaking his fast mid-game.
Mo Salah
Liverpool’s Mo Salah also fasts while competing – even during the most important parts of the season. There is some controversy over whether or not he fasted during the Champions League final at its time, but regardless, Salah has fasted for many games over the course of his career. He has adapted to this challenge by waking up around 3:00 AM to train, rather than the regular training times. Training while the sun is down means that he can do it on a full and energized stomach, before eventually fasting in the daytime.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also fasted during his career. He is regarded as one of the league’s greatest players of all time, with a highly decorated career. The Hall of Famer played from 1969 to 1989, and paved the way for countless future Muslim athletes.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Former Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon has had some of the best fasting performances by any athlete in sports history. When fasting in 1995, Olajuwon said, “I feel like the sacrifices I’m making now will make me stronger mentally when there is much more on the line.” That year, he went on to win the NBA Championship.
Karim Benzema
Just a few days ago, Karim Benzema of Real Madrid scored a hat-trick in the Champions League quarter-finals. This itself was quite the performance, as it earned the team a ticket to the next stage of the tournament after a 3-1 win. However, he did all of this after an entire day of fasting as well! Benzema said that he feels good while fasting, and that it makes him stronger – and his recent performance has proved that more than anything.
