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Keitany revealed her first encounter with such an ordeal was when she was 16-years-old.
Former world women’s marathon record holder Mary Keitany has shared her experience with sexual harassment as a long-distance runner.
According to an investigation by Swedish Radio, elite female athletes reported that men in positions of power were always demanding sex from her in exchange for accessing great coaching opportunities or chances to compete in races abroad.
Keitany, in an interview, revealed that she was subjected to that kind of torture for the first time when she was 16-year-old.
She revealed that men would coerce her to give in, in exchange for great opportunities that most athletes lack.
“They used to tell me that if I want to go abroad for instance, I was supposed to do some certain things but I could not give in. Of course, I know they wanted sex, that was it,” Keitany said.
Keitany revealed that they would try to blackmail her by pointing out some of the greatest female athletes and said that if she wanted to reach their level, she needed to do what they wanted.
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“They used to tell me that those athletes who have made it also went through those stages,’” she said.
Now retired, Keitany said many long-distance runners, especially in East Africa still continue to suffer. She revealed that having a great support system is what saved her from succumbing to such advances.
“The people around me protected me from those men, however, I used to see so many runners who didn’t have such support go through a lot. They are really suffering,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) head Brett Clothier expressed his disappointment towards the menace and noted that they will work tirelessly to address the issues.
“First of all, it’s heartbreaking. We need to as an industry proactively confront these sorts of behaviours to change the sport, and make the sport a safe place,” Clothier told Swedish Radio.
He added that AIU is aware that many female runners, especially those from East Africa, often face difficult situations but admitted that they have not prioritised the issue sufficiently.
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