World champion Magdeleine Vallieres has described the demeaning treatment that characterised the earlier part of her racing career, with a coach grabbing her stomach on a daily basis and “blackmailing us with food”.
The 24-year-old Canadian became underweight, frequently ill, and obsessed with food, she said in an interview with L’Équipe. Her period also stopped for a time.
Referring to an unnamed coach at her previous set-up, the WCC Team, Vallieres said: “He told us we were fat, that we would be better off if we were lighter. He blackmailed us with food, saying that if we ate certain things, we’d have to run behind the team car.
“When someone grabs your stomach every morning to show you that you’re fat, it eventually gets into your head.”
“I restricted myself… he said we weren’t allowed to eat sugar, even though we actually needed it. I ate more salad than anything else; it didn’t do me any good, it only made me feel worse,” she said.
But, she said: “It took a year before I had a healthy mindset around nutrition again. Anna, the team’s nutritionist, told me that getting my period back was becoming a priority – and that was also what I wanted, because I knew it wasn’t normal.”
“I’ve put myself into a hole by abusing my body for too long… My body needs a full reset before it can be at its best. I’m tired of being mediocre,” Ewers said.
As for Vallieres, she has her own opinions: “Being thin to win is not a good example for the next generation. It’s not right. My experience has taught me that being healthy is the best way to perform.”
