Current:Home > ScamsOlympic track star Andre De Grasse distracted by abuse allegations against his coach-LoTradeCoin
Olympic track star Andre De Grasse distracted by abuse allegations against his coach
View Date:2024-12-24 08:04:11
SAINT-DENIS, France — Canadian sprinter and defending Olympic champion in the 200, Andre De Grasse, attempted to defend his title Wednesday while his coach Rana Reider is embroiled in controversy.
De Grasse finished third in the first heat of the men’s 200 semifinal and failed to qualify for the final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Following the race, De Grasse said he ran with a painful and inflamed hamstring after an ultrasound earlier this week showed he aggravated an old injury. When asked directly if the allegations of abuse levied against his coach also were a distraction, he said, "Yea, of course."
“I try to keep my head and stay mentally strong. It’s always tough not having your coach out there with you,” De Grasse told reporters. “He kind of leads you through these Games, and been with him all year. It’s definitely a tough one.”
The Canadian Olympic Committee revoked the accreditation of Reider, De Grasse's personal coach, for the Olympic team amid recent allegations of sexual and emotional abuse. Reider also coaches Italian Olympian Marcell Jacobs and American Trayvon Bromell.
Three lawsuits have been filed in Broward County, Florida against Reider and the track club he runs, which are among a list of other defendants.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
The first complaint, filed in December 2023, lists the plaintiff as Jane Doe and includes an allegation of rape. The other two cases were filed in June by a 35-year-old retired long jumper from Great Britain and a 28-year-old American sprinter, who allege Reider sexually harassed them by grabbing their buttocks or making suggestive comments about their appearances, among other claims.
USA TODAY Sports does not identify individuals who allege sexual abuse without their permission. Court documents list AXS Law Group as attorneys of record for Reider in one of the three Florida lawsuits, and the attorneys did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The attorney representing Reider on his accreditation revocation, Ryan Stevens, published a statement decrying a lack of due process and the absence of formal investigatory findings to support the Canadian Olympic Committee's action.
"It's a bad day for the Olympics when a governing body's fear of bad publicity is prioritized over the athletes," Stevens said.
De Grasse said he knew nothing about the allegations until he was informed this week.
“I knew nothing about it. It kind of just sprung on me the same time you guys knew,” De Grasse said to reporters. “It’s kind of a tough one to swallow. To know about that right before you’re about to run. It’s pretty tough.”
De Grasse said while he’s had success on the track with Reider, he’s going to “reevaluate” his personal coaching situation after the Olympics.
“I won the Olympics with him. He's been my coach for the past three years. I won a lot of world championship medals and Olympic medals,” De Grasse said. “Of course, everything that happened is kind of crazy. I don’t know what to think of it. I don’t know. I kind of just have to reevaluate after the games.”
Contributing: Chase Goodbread
veryGood! (582)
Related
- Early Black Friday Deals: 70% Off Apple, Dyson, Tarte, Barefoot Dreams, Le Creuset & More + Free Shipping
- You'll Flip a Table Over These Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 13 Reunion Looks
- Billie Lourd Calls Out Carrie Fisher’s Siblings for Public “Attacks” in Rare Statement
- Demand for Presidential Climate Debate Escalates after DNC Says No
- Police identify 7-year-old child killed in North Carolina weekend shooting
- Why stinky sweat is good for you
- Millions of Americans will soon be able to buy hearing aids without a prescription
- Japan launches a contest to urge young people to drink more alcohol
- Smithfield agrees to pay $2 million to resolve child labor allegations at Minnesota meat plant
- Today’s Climate: April 30, 2010
Ranking
- Mike Tyson emerges as heavyweight champ among product pitchmen before Jake Paul fight
- For one rape survivor, new abortion bans bring back old, painful memories
- Pence officially files paperwork to run for president, kicking off 2024 bid
- Trump attorneys meet with special counsel at Justice Dept amid documents investigation
- Video shows Starlink satellite that resembled fireball breaking up over the Southwest: Watch
- Tourists at Yellowstone picked up a baby elk and drove it in their car, officials say
- IEA Says U.S. Could Become Desert Solar Leader—With Right Incentives
- Mothers tell how Pakistan's monsoon floods have upended their lives
Recommendation
-
Man killed by police in Minnesota was being sought in death of his pregnant wife
-
Health firm wrongly told hundreds of people they might have cancer
-
InsideClimate News Celebrates 10 Years of Hard-Hitting Journalism
-
James F. Black
-
As Northeast wildfires keep igniting, is there a drought-buster in sight?
-
In the Outer Banks, Officials and Property Owners Battle to Keep the Ocean at Bay
-
Scotland becomes the first country to offer tampons and pads for free, officials say
-
Why Lisa Vanderpump Is Closing Her Famed L.A. Restaurant Pump for Good