Olympic swimmer reveals top coach left her ‘broken’ as slew of athletes come forward against ‘toxic’ regime
AN Olympic swimmer has revealed a top UK coach left her "broken" by a "toxic" regime.
Rūta Meilutytė - who won gold at London 2012 - said Jon Rudd's focus on diet contributed to her developing an eating disorder and depression.
She is among 12 former swimmers to speak out against the alleged culture at Plymouth Leander swimming club, where Rudd coached from 1989 to 2017.
Rudd had faced allegations of bullying and verbal abuse, however no action was taken by Swim England despite a confidential 2012 investigation saying he should be suspended, reports the BBC.
The probe had heard evidence from 17 witnesses.
The governing body's current chief Andy Salmon said he doesn't know why Rudd wasn't suspended, adding that he was "deeply, deeply sorry" to those impacted by the failings.
Rudd is set to become high performance director of Saudi Arabia's Olympic swimming team.
The coach had established Plymouth Leander as a successful training ground for producing Olympic athletes.
As well as coaching, he also had safeguarding responsibilities to ensure wellbeing.
Meilutytė moved to the UK from Lithuania in 2010 to be coached by Rudd - and two years later, aged 15, became the youngest person to win the 100m breaststroke.
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Speaking to the BBC's Panorama, the now 28-year-old claimed she confided in Rudd that she'd been making herself sick to lose weight, but he laughed and said: "Well, at least you get the calories out."
She also alleged he told her her "ass was fat" immediately before a major competition when she was 16.
Despite being hailed as the club's biggest success, Meilutytė said the regime "made me for a while and then it broke me".
She left the club in 2017 - the same year Rudd became Swim Ireland's director of performance swimming.
Other swimmers to make allegations against Rudd include Olympic bronze medallist Cassie Patten, who claims the coach made her train with an injured shoulder which eventually ended her career in 2011.
And Commonwealth Youth gold medallist Phoebe Lenderyou claimed Rudd's regime aggravated her eating disorder.
According to the investigation, Rudd's assistant coach, Lindsay Trimmings, should also have been suspended from Plymouth Leander.
Salmon told the BBC: "Clearly the organisation failed to act on the independent recommendations made at the time.
"And I'm really sorry, on behalf of Swim England, for any suffering that that might have led to."
Swim England is now reviewing 1,500 safeguarding cases carried out across England between 2002 and 2022.
Plymouth Leander said it was "deeply concerned" by the allegations but assured the club is "fundamentally different" since Rudd was in charge.
Plymouth College said its partnership with the club has been terminated.
'Deeply concerning'
Swim England said in a statement sent to The Sun: "The experiences that are shared as part of the Panorama programme are deeply concerning and we are grateful to those who have come forward – recognising fully the courage it takes for those individuals to speak out publicly.
"We want to be clear: we are committed to meaningful and lasting change. The issues highlighted do not reflect the culture we aspire to as an organisation and for all of our sports, nor the values we stand for.
"At the end of last year, we launched our new strategy with a commitment to lead and serve an aquatics community to enable safe, enjoyable and successful experiences.
"Creating a safe environment for everyone is not only a priority – it is a responsibility we take seriously.
"Cultural transformation is essential, and it must be grounded in our core values which includes doing what is right for all those who take part in our sports at every level.
"In 2024, a new CEO took leadership of Swim England. We also published the Listening Report, which was a pivotal moment for everybody associated with Swim England.
"It gave us absolute clarity and a clear focus on how we must improve and became the foundation to our new approach and strategy.
"As part of this work, we have also now commissioned a review of historical cases spanning two decades.
"We have also invested in a digital safeguarding case management system and continue to invest into improved digital systems, educational resources, as well as training and support.
"We believe everyone in aquatics should be free from the risk of harm so that they can experience the joy of participating. Abuse, mistreatment, harm, and a culture of fear have no place in our sports.
"If anyone has any concerns past or present, we urge them to come forward. Please get in touch with our Safeguarding & Welfare team or the police if it is of a criminal nature.
"As an activity and sport enjoyed by millions of people each week, swimming can have such a positive and uplifting impact on individuals, communities and the health of the nation.
"We would like to thank those within our community, and beyond, who give positive experiences every day and thank them for supporting us on this important journey of change.
"We will continue to be transparent about our progress and remain accountable as we move forward."
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The Sun has approached Plymouth Leander for further comment.
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