UNITED STATES
USA TODAY
June 20, 2019
By Scott Gleeson
Former Olympic track athlete Conrad Mainwaring was arrested on one felony count of sexual battery on Wednesday amidst an ESPN investigation that reported more than 30 men were molested by the 67-year-old Los Angeles-based high school track and field coach.
The ESPN Outside The Lines report claims the abuse spanned over the course of 44 years, with the youngest alleged victim claiming abuse at age 14.
Los Angeles Police Department detective Sharlene Johnson said the alleged victim claimed Mainwaring molested him in 2016 by masquerading it as massage treatment in which he’d also touch his genitals. The LAPD only filed one charge against Mainwaring, and Johnson said that could be a result of the statute of limitations expiring on alleged victims from the ESPN report.
The 67-year-old Mainwaring competed for Antigua during the 1976 Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles and would use his status as an established track coach to coerce athletes. One alleged victim told ESPN that Mainwaring’s manipulation for treatment began with incentives like, “you can be an Olympian, too.” Victims in the ESPN story also claimed Mainwaring would convince them that control over their erections would affect their testosterone levels and improve their athletic performance.
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