In response to elite runner Mary Cain’s allegations of forced weight loss and public shaming by former coach Alberto Salazar at a now-disbanded Nike-supported running program, Nike has started an investigation into the matter.
Cain aired her claims in an oped New York Times video Thursday: “I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike.” The seven-minute video had nearly 317,000 views as of Friday afternoon. A teenage running sensation and former Olympic hopeful, Cain signed with the Nike-backed team in 2013. She alleged that Salazar publicly shamed her for not being thin enough and described how weight loss was fundamental to the program. The New York-based athlete claimed when she told Salazar and a sport psychologist after a meet in May 2015 that she had been cutting herself [as a form of self-harm], “they pretty much told me they wanted to go to bed.” Cain said she then informed her parents of the situation and left on the first available flight.
When asked for comment regarding Cain’s allegations Friday, a Nike spokesman issued the following statement: “These are deeply troubling allegations which have not been raised by Mary or her parents before. Mary was seeking to rejoin the Oregon
Cain aired her claims in an oped New York Times video Thursday: “I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike.” The seven-minute video had nearly 317,000 views as of Friday afternoon. A teenage running sensation and former Olympic hopeful, Cain signed with the Nike-backed team in 2013. She alleged that Salazar publicly shamed her for not being thin enough and described how weight loss was fundamental to the program. The New York-based athlete claimed when she told Salazar and a sport psychologist after a meet in May 2015 that she had been cutting herself [as a form of self-harm], “they pretty much told me they wanted to go to bed.” Cain said she then informed her parents of the situation and left on the first available flight.
When asked for comment regarding Cain’s allegations Friday, a Nike spokesman issued the following statement: “These are deeply troubling allegations which have not been raised by Mary or her parents before. Mary was seeking to rejoin the Oregon