Olympic star ‘broken’ by top swim coach’s regime

A former world record-breaking swimmer claims to be “broken” by the harsh regime under the guidance of one of the UK’s most successful swimming coaches.

Rta Meilutyt, who won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, claimed Jon Rudd’s emphasis on calorie counting and swimmers’ diets contributed to her struggle with eating disorders and depression.

12 ex-swimmers have told us they had been bullied, given a toxic training environment, and given a controlling food culture at one of the UK’s elite swimming teams when he was in charge.

During his 28-year membership at Plymouth Leander swimming club, Rudd was accused of bullying and verbal abuse, but the governing body of the sport has since discovered no such allegations.

We have determined that the governing body, Swim England, did not comply with a classified 2012 investigation that recommended that Rudd be suspended after 17 witnesses gave evidence about his behavior.

Andy Salmon, the new head of Swim England, expressed his deep regret for the swimmers in Plymouth and for all those who were harmed by the governing body’s failings, saying he did not understand why Rudd had not been suspended.

After Rudd established itself as a club that produced Olympic athletes, Plymouth Leander attracted aspiring swimmers from all over the world.

Between 1989 and 2017, he served as the head coach, overseeing the success of the swimmers as well as taking care of their well-being.

Antony James, who won silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and represented Team GB at the 2012 Olympics, was one of Plymouth Leander’s most successful swimmers. In February, he raped two women at the club and was imprisoned for 21 years.

Three Plymouth Leander instructors claimed Rudd, who had coached James since he was eight years old, should have known that he was interested in younger girls.

No one could dispute James’ behavior because of his former girlfriend, who is also an ex-swimmer, and how well known he was for mixing with young teenage girls.

Everyone was aware that he wasn’t trying to hide anything he was doing, she said, and it was completely out there and transparent.

She claims she was a “gateway” to his grooming of younger girls when he started dating at age 16 and he was 22 when they first started dating.

Rudd was a coach at Plymouth Leander until 2010 when R. T. Meilutyte, a Lithuanian, relocated to the UK to take his place.

She recalls Rudd making crude remarks about her weight, which she now recalls.

When she told him that she had been eating too much and losing weight, he laughed and said, “Well, at least you get the calories out.”

She claimed that Rudd did approach her for assistance once he realized what she had said.

She also described him as being “fat” moments before a significant competition at the age of 16.

Meilutyt said Rudd’s regime “made me for a while and then it broke me” despite being hailed as the club’s most successful swimmer.

In 2017, she left Plymouth Leander. In the same year, Rudd’s career increased significantly, becoming Swim Ireland’s director of performance swimming.

Olympic bronze medalist Cassie Patten was one of the 11 swimmers who made allegations to Panorama about Rudd. She claimed that the coach had forced her to work while she was recovering from shoulder surgery and that this ultimately led to the end of her career in 2011.

Phoebe Lenderyou, a Commonwealth Youth medalist, claimed that Panorama Rudd’s treatment had worsened her eating disorder.

Despite mounting evidence that Rudd had suffered harm and the recommendation from the 2012 report that he be suspended for four months, CEO Andy Salmon, who has led Swim England since February 2024, confirmed to the BBC that no action was taken against him.

Without a tip-off from the BBC in 2023, the report would still have remained a secret. Rudd was said to have been the subject of a lengthy investigation, but none of the complainants were informed of the outcome.

After the BBC inquired about it, Swim England reviewed his case.

Lindsay Trimmings, Rudd’s assistant coach, should also have been given a suspension, according to the original investigation. Swim England later appointed her as its head of coaching, but she resigned in 2023. She stated in a letter to Panorama that she did not want to respond.

After the BBC first shared several swimmers’ accounts of abuse in 2023, Swim England decided to create a listening report into all aquatic sports. The governing body’s report, which was released in 2024, revealed a future-threatening culture of fear at every level of the sport.

The club was “fundamentally different” from when Rudd was in charge, according to Plymouth Leander, who stated that it was “deeply concerned by the nature and severity” of the allegations made by Panorama. Additionally, it stated that it had “completely reviewed” its safeguarding practices and procedures to ensure “the safest possible environment.”

According to the statement, Rudd’s employer, Plymouth College, was in charge of “oversight and jurisdiction.”

The club, which is currently under different ownership, claimed it was “deeply concerned” to hear these swimmers’ testimonials from Plymouth Leander.

Royal Wolverhampton School Swimming Club, another renowned institution in the sport, has also been the subject of bullying, according to BBC Panorama’s investigation into last year.

The parents of 11 swimmers filed complaints about the club’s head coach, David Painter, in the years 2023 and 2024.

Abby, a 17-year-old swimmer, claimed to be forced to choose between swimming and studying because Painter wouldn’t let her take any breaks while she was studying for her GCSEs.

She claimed that despite being told she would still have to train the morning before exams, she was also told to do so at a different school close to her home.

Abby told Panorama that she was failing at school, and that “at the end I was literally having full blown panic attacks.” She ultimately made the decision to quit the sport.

Former club welfare officer Alison Hickman claimed 11 parents who complained about Painter to Swim England were not contacted by the governing body. She told the BBC that none of them had been.

Swim England claimed to have contacted the school to resolve the issues.

Complaints were reportedly kept private, according to The Royal Wolverhampton School. According to the statement, the school “has clear safeguarding procedures” and “every formal complaint is investigated promptly and appropriately.”

Help and support is available via BBC Action Line if any of the issues raised in this article have affected you.