Current:Home > ContactOlympic track star Andre De Grasse distracted by abuse allegations against his coach -Zenith Profit Hub
Olympic track star Andre De Grasse distracted by abuse allegations against his coach
View
Date:2025-04-17 12:15:36
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! (1581)
Related
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- New Jersey man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Pennsylvania cold case
- A chaotic Golden Globes night had a bit of everything: The silly, the serious, and Taylor Swift, too
- First US lunar lander in more than 50 years rockets toward moon with commercial deliveries
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Mom calls out Fisher-Price for 'annoying' phrases on 'Like A Boss' activity center
- Dry skin bothering you? This is what’s causing it.
- Cyprus president shakes up cabinet, replacing ministers of defense, health, justice and environment
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Jennifer Aniston's Golden Globes Haircut Is the New Rachel From Friends
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Report: Another jaguar sighting in southern Arizona, 8th different one in southwestern US since 1996
- Gyspy Rose Blanchard Reveals Kidnapping Survivor Elizabeth Smart Slid Into Her DMs
- Tom Brady? Jim Harbaugh? J.J. McCarthy? Who are the greatest Michigan quarterbacks ever?
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- CBS News poll on Jan. 6 attack 3 years later: Though most still condemn, Republican disapproval continues to wane
- Golden Globes proves to be a mini 'Succession' reunion as stars take home trophies
- Runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport reopens a week after fatal collision
Recommendation
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
A Cambodian critic is charged with defamation over comments on Facebook
Defendant who attacked judge in wild courtroom video will face her again in Las Vegas
Reese Witherspoon, Heidi Klum bring kids Deacon, Leni to Vanity Fair event
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
Just Crown Elizabeth Debicki Queen of the 2024 Golden Globes Right Now
Mom calls out Fisher-Price for 'annoying' phrases on 'Like A Boss' activity center
New video shows Republican congressman scolding Jan. 6 rioters through barricaded House Chamber