The massive controversy that had gripped UK Athletics since 2023, involving 2020 Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir, has reached a critical conclusion. Her former coach, Andy Young, has been held accountable for serious misconduct and compromising athlete well-being and has been suspended from coaching for 3 years. As the saga reaches its finality, Laura Muir, the 32-year-old distance runner, who had raised the allegations, has responded to the verdict.

Chris Chavez, the CitiusMag founder, shared a detailed summary of the investigation by UK Athletics on his X account on September 30. “Two independent panels reviewed Young’s conduct. Both concluded he committed serious misconduct that fell far below UKA coaching standards. In the first one, the panel considered 33 charges and upheld 9 charges including 7 serious ones.”

Muir had shown immense courage in speaking up against the toxic coaching standards, as Chavez also shared the statement released by the 2022 World Championships bronze medalist. “I have chosen to waive my anonymity and confirm my involvement in this case.” Laura Muir shared. “I fully support the decisions reached by both independent panels and I am grateful that the process has been followed through so thoroughly. I want to thank those who came forward and those who contributed to the process — it has not been easy, but it was necessary.”

She further added, “Athletics has always been my passion, and I am pleased to say that I have rediscovered the love of my sport and the enjoyment of training and working within a supportive and positive coaching environment. I am now focused on the future, looking forward to the next few years of my career, and putting this difficult chapter firmly behind me.”

Andy Young, who had coached the 1500m Olympic silver medalist from 2011 to March 2023, had been initially suspended for 5 years. The ruling was first made in October 2024, with the revocation of his coaching license being applied retrospectively from April 2023, when he was first suspended. After the appeal, the sanction has been reduced to 3 years, starting from April 2023. Therefore, Young will be barred from coaching under UK Athletics until April 2026 at the earliest.

And his reinstatement after that is conditional upon mandatory rehabilitative training, which includes completion of welfare/medical/anti-bullying training. The 2016 UK Athletics’ performance coach of the year has been accused of “criticizing athletes who raised injury concerns; forcing athletes to compete or train despite physiotherapists advising otherwise” (in the 2nd case, it later turned out the complainant had a stress fracture), and many other violations, which include giving advice related to nutrition despite not being qualified to. These instances point toward risking the athlete’s well-being in pursuit of sporting excellence, which goes against the ethos of coaching duties.

“Mr Young could be very forceful to the point of exerting pressure so severe that it amounted to manipulation or bullying,” the initial independent panel wrote in their judgment, as per the Guardian. In fact, several athletes were involved in this investigation who gave testimony against the 48-year-old coach. However, except for Laura Muir, all the other athletes’ identities have been kept anonymous.

As the suspension of the coach has been confirmed, UK Athletics Chief Executive, Jack Buckner, made it clear that athlete well-being precedes everything else. “This has been a difficult and sobering case for everyone involved in athletics. There is no level of success on the track which can ever justify behaviours that fall so short of the standards required of a UKA licensed coach. This case underlines that performance and medals can never come at the expense of athlete welfare.”

And yet, a similar toxic culture has been perpetuated in numerous pockets. Like Laura Muir, one Olympic gymnast also fought back against her inhumane training environment.

The Olympic gymnast fighting against a similar training culture

For Tabea Alt, the ordeal was worse. While Muir got help from the system that eventually suspended her former coach, Tabea Alt’s complaints against a dysfunctional training culture last year fell on deaf ears, as Alt stated the German Gymnastics Federation (DFB) did nothing after she submitted a letter regarding the same 3 years prior. So, the German gymnast decided to speak up on Instagram.

In her post on December 28, 2024, she wrote, “I had to realize with regret that it was unsuccessful and it led to nothing. It was ignored or just not taken seriously.” That included detailed letters to trainers, medical staff, and officials to draw attention to the abuse being committed in the name of competitive spirit.

After releasing her statement, several other German gymnasts came forward to share similar experiences, such as former national team gymnast Michelle Timm and current gymnast Lara Hinsberger.

Though the DFB denied ignoring the earlier complaints from Alt, the federation pledged to investigate following her last statement. Then in January of this year, two coaches from the national training center in Stuttgart were temporarily released.

“Medical orders were disregarded, and I allowed myself to go to the gym with several fractures and was sent to the competition,” wrote Alt, exposing the toxic cycles the promise of Olympic glory can breed.