(NEW YORK) -- Kelsie Whitmore, 24, considers herself a proud daughter, sister, competitor, athlete and friend. If that wasn't enough, she just so happens to be the first woman to ever start and pitch for an Atlantic League baseball team, taking the pitcher's mound for the Staten Island FerryHawks' 2022 season.
"You know those things in life that you can't explain and you just know it's your truth? That's how playing baseball has always been to me," Whitmore told ABC News' Good Morning America.
"I grew up playing all sports, not only baseball. I remember playing catch in the front yard with my younger brother and dad. I played flag football, you name it -- I played it," she continued. "My parents really always encouraged us to be outside and to stay active."
Whitmore said that growing up, she saw no boundaries between herself and other teammates.
"I just saw whoever was in front of me as a competitor," she said. "Male or female, ethnicity, color -- that didn't matter."
"My dad instilled in me the mentality to just suck it up and keep going," she added. "So that's exactly what I did."
Whitmore has been knocking down doors in the male-dominated baseball world since her teenage years: She was the only female player to start for her varsity baseball team at Temecula Valley High School in Southern California.
"You must have short-term goals to be able to reach long-term goals. Many people are so focused on the outcome over the process. I choose the process over the outcome," she said. "The process is what builds you."
Though other women have coached and made history in baseball, Whitmore said that much of her journey has left her craving the non-existent camaraderie between her and other female players her age.
"It can be overwhelming at times -- so that's when I stick to the people that know who I really am and want the best for me," she said.
"No matter how long I have been playing this game, when I step out on that field as the only female, there are always be little nerves -- you know all eyes are on you," Whitmore said. "That's when I focus on breathing."
"I can't control what someone is going to think of me," she added, "but I can control my heartbeat, how hard I am going to work, how I treat others and the positive self-talk that I feed myself."
Whitmore urged other women that may have similar dreams as hers to put one foot in front of the other and run with them.
"Big dreams require big sacrifices," she said.
When asked about what advice she would share with young athletes -- or anyone -- with big goals, Whitmore shared a glimpse into her winning mentality.
"Before anything that you are going to do in life, learn to find yourself. Look in the mirror and continue to ask yourself difficult questions. Once you have that, you can fearlessly go for anything you want in life, and for me ... that's baseball," she said.
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Thursday's sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Boston 7, Pittsburgh 4
Philadelphia 4, Detroit 1
San Francisco 6, Chi White Sox 3
San Diego 6, Kansas City 3
Houston 5, Washington 4
Cleveland 10, San Francisco 0
Seattle 17, Cincinnati 6
NY Yankees 1, St. Louis 1 (Tie)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 3, Minnesota 0
Detroit 8, Baltimore 8
Oakland 7, Texas 7 (Tie)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chi Cubs 11, Arizona 1
Milwaukee 4, San Diego 2
Arizona 11, LA Dodgers 5
NY Mets 2, Atlanta 2 (Tie)
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
LA Clippers 127, Oklahoma City 105
Orlando 111, New York 106
Cleveland 116, Brooklyn 114
New Orleans 115, Charlotte 96
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Philadelphia 5 Minnesota 4 (SO)
Washington 6, Chicago 1
NY Rangers 2, Carolina 1
St. Louis 4, Detroit 3
Toronto 6, Florida 2
Ottawa 7, Tampa Bay 2
Boston 4, Montreal 2
Nashville 2, Seattle 1 (SO)
Final Dallas 3, Pittsburgh 2
Vegas 3, Calgary 2
Vancouver 7, San Jose 2
Winnipeg 3, Anaheim 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Gonzaga 79, UCLA 76
UConn 88, Arkansas 65
Kansas St. 98, Michigan St. 93
FAU 62, Tennessee 55
(NEW YORK) -- After a short break, March Madness is back Thursday night with the men’s Sweet 16.
The field of 16 was set on Sunday when the second round of this year’s NCAA men's basketball tournament wrapped up.
The tournament, so far, has been filled with upsets and drama. Two no. 1 seeds have been eliminated from the competition, including the defending champion Kansas Jayhawks.
ABC News’ Will Reeve appeared on Good Morning America Thursday to preview the action as the Sweet 16 tips off:
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday's sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Washington 5, NY Yankees 2
Tampa Bay 6, Philadelphia 2
Houston 5, NY Mets 2
Atlanta 5, Detroit 3
San Francisco 4, Texas 0
Chi Cubs 4, Oakland 2
LA Angels 10, Colorado 9
Seattle 5, LA Dodgers 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 2, Baltimore 1
Texas 2, Chi White Sox 0
Kansas City 4, Chi White Sox 3
Minnesota 11, Boston 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 4, San Diego 1
St. Louis 0, Miami 0 (Tie)
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Denver 118, Washington 104
Indiana 118, Toronto 114
Miami 127, New York 120
Golden State 127, Dallas 125
Milwaukee 130, San Antonio 94
Memphis 130, Houston 125
Philadelphia 116, Chicago 91
Minnesota 125, Atlanta 124
Portland 127, Utah 115
LA Lakers 122, Phoenix 111
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Edmonton 4, Arizona 3 (OT)
Pittsburgh 5, Colorado 2
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Tuesday's sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Chi Cubs 6, Kansas City 2
Houston 2, Miami 1
LA Dodgers 4, Cleveland 2
Chi White Sox 6, Milwaukee 5
LA Angels 7, Arizona 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 6, Boston 2
NY Yankees 6, Detroit 3
Oakland 6, LA Angels 5
Minnesota 5, Tampa Bay 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Diego 14, Colorado 2
Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 3
San Francisco 12, LA Dodgers 1
Washington 4, St. Louis 4
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Boston 132, Sacramento 109
Oklahoma City 101, LA Clippers 100
Orlando 122, Washington 112
Atlanta 129, Detroit 107
Cleveland 115, Brooklyn 109
New Orleans 119, San Antonio 84
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Calgary 5, Anaheim 1
Vegas 4, Vancouver 3
Nashville 7, Buffalo 3
Montreal 3, Tampa Bay 2
Philadelphia 6, Florida 3
Carolina 3, NY Rangers 2
Boston 2, Ottawa 1
Minnesota 2, New Jersey 1 (OT)
Columbus 7, Washington 6 (OT)
NY Islanders 7, Toronto 2
Winnipeg 2, Arizona 1
Detroit 3 St. Louis 2 (SO)
Seattle 5, Dallas 4 (OT)
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Monday's sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Atlanta 6, Tampa Bay 5
Pittsburgh 7, Boston 5
Philadelphia 14, Baltimore 6
Cincinnati 10, LA Angels 0
Seattle 7, Milwaukee 2
Arizona 7, Chi White Sox 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 5, Detroit 0
Cleveland 5, Texas 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis 5, Miami 0
Washington 3, NY Mets 2
Colorado 5, LA Dodgers 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Charlotte 115, Indiana 109
Chicago 109, Philadelphia 105 (2OT)
Minnesota 140, New York 134
Golden State 121, Houston 108
Memphis 112, Dallas 108
Utah 128, Sacramento 120
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Los Angeles 8 Calgary 2
Florida 5, Detroit 2
Ottawa 2, Pittsburgh 1
Colorado 5, Chicago 0
Edmonton 5, San Jose 4 (OT)
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Sunday's sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Washington 2, Detroit 1
Atlanta 5, Minnesota 0
Baltimore 8, Pittsburgh 0
Miami 5, Houston 4
Boston 9, Philadelphia 5
Colorado 7, Kansas City 0
Cleveland 3, Colorado 1
San Francisco 9, LA Angels 6
Oakland 6, LA Dodgers 3
Arizona 13, Kansas City 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 1, Toronto 0
Baltimore 5, NY. Yankees 3
Texas 2, Seattle 1
Chi White Sox 6, Seattle 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis 8, NY Mets 7
Final Milwaukee 4, Cincinnati 3
Chi Cubs 5, San Diego 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Denver 108, Brooklyn 102
Oklahoma City 124, Phoenix 120
San Antonio 126, Atlanta 118
Miami 112, Detroit 100
New Orleans 117, Houston 107
Milwaukee 118, Toronto 111
LA Clippers 117, Portland 102
Final LA Lakers 111, Orlando 105
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Boston 7, Buffalo 0
Minnesota 5, Washington 3
Vegas 7, Columbus 2
NY Rangers 7, Nashville 0
St. Louis 3, Winnipeg 0
New Jersey 5, Tampa Bay 2
Vancouver 2, Anaheim 1
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Michigan St. 69, Marquette 60
Gonzaga 84, TCU 81
UConn 70, Saint Mary's (Cal.) 55
Creighton 85, Baylor 76
Xavier 84, Pittsburgh 73
Kansas St. 75, Kentucky 69
Miami 85, Indiana 69
FAU 78, Fairleigh Dickinson 70
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Thursday's sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Houston 3, St. Louis 0
Tampa Bay 5, Atlanta 1
LA Angels 3, Milwaukee 2
Philadelphia 10, Detroit 1
Pittsburgh 9, NY Yankees 6
Texas 3, LA Dodgers 1
San Francisco 0, Seattle 0 (Tie)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 2, Minnesota 0
Cleveland 5, Chi White Sox 1
Kansas City 2, Oakland 0
Baltimore 7, Toronto 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona 3, Chi Cubs 1
San Diego 7, Colorado 1
Washington 3, NY Mets 0
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Denver 119, Detroit 100
Toronto 128, Oklahoma City 111
Sacramento 101, Brooklyn 96
Indiana 139, Milwaukee 123
Phoenix 116, Orlando 113
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Los Angeles 4, Columbus 1
Seattle 2, San Jose 1 (OT)
NY Rangers 4, Pittsburgh 2
Florida 9, Montreal 5
Colorado 5, Ottawa 4
Tampa Bay 4, New Jersey 3 (SO)
Boston 3, Winnipeg 0
Chicago 2, Nashville 1
Edmonton 4, Dallas 1
Arizona 3, Vancouver 2
Calgary 7, Vegas 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Alabama 96, Texas A&M-CC 75
Houston 63, N. Kentucky 52
Kansas 96, Howard 68
Texas 81, Colgate 61
UCLA 86, UNC-Asheville 53
Princeton 59, Arizona 55
Duke 74, Oral Roberts 51
Furman 68, Virginia 67
Penn St. 76, Texas A&M 59
San Diego St. 63, Coll. of Charleston 57
Tennessee 58, Louisiana-Lafayette 55
Missouri 76, Utah St. 65
(NEW YORK) -- The First Four wrapped up Wednesday night, setting the field of 64 teams for this year’s NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and Arizona State Sun Devils advanced on Wednesday to the first round of competition, which begins on Thursday. On Tuesday, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders and Pittsburgh Panthers toppled their opponents to move on in the tournament.
ABC News’ Will Reeve appeared Thursday on Good Morning America and previewed the first games in the March Madness schedule:
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Wednesday's sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Chi White Sox at San Francisco (Canceled)
Cleveland at San Diego (Canceled)
Toronto 7, Pittsburgh 1
Houston 9, Atlanta 3
Philadelphia 9, NY Yankees 8
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Seattle at Oakland (Canceled)
Boston 9, Tampa Bay 1
Texas 4, Kansas City 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington at Miami (Canceled)
San Francisco at Arizona (Canceled)
Chi Cubs at Cincinnati (Canceled)
Colorado at LA Dodgers (Canceled)
Arizona 2, Milwaukee 0 (Canceled)
St. Louis 4, NY Mets 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
LA Clippers 134, Golden State 126
Miami 138, Memphis 119
Philadelphia 118, Cleveland 109
Boston 104, Minnesota 102
Sacramento 117, Chicago 114
Houston 114, LA Lakers 110
Dallas 137, San Antonio 128 (OT)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Minnesota 8, St. Louis 5
NY Islanders 6, Anaheim 3
Colorado 2, Toronto 1 (SO)
Washington 5, Buffalo 4 (SO)
(NEW YORK) -- A 16-year-old softball player with cerebral palsy has gained thousands of social media followers sharing her recovery efforts after a major leg surgery.
Throughout her life, Charlie Duffy has had over 20 surgeries to help correct pain and walking issues affecting the left side of her body — a subtype of the condition known as hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy can affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture. It's the most common motor disability among children, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It's estimated that 1 in 345 children in the United States have been diagnosed with the development disorder.
"There's always that, 'What if I might not be able to walk or do things on my own?' And I kind of beat the odds," Duffy told "GMA3."
For the teen, playing softball has been a source of motivation. She said feels a "rush of adrenaline" whenever she makes a play or gets a hit.
She was in PE class one day when she noticed that her foot was turning in again as she walked, which would require another surgery to correct. In May, surgeons cut Duffy's femur in half, rotated it and secured it with a plate.
Before the surgery, Duffy's Instagram posts were about her softball workouts. Now, she needed something new to post about.
"I just posted a video of me getting out of bed after my surgery, just so people can who are following my softball journey know that softball is not the only part of my life. And that kind of blew up unexpectedly," Duffy said.
Duffy now has over 100,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares snippets of her life and recovery progress. The mental aspect has been almost hard as the physical, she said.
"You're competing with yourself and your thoughts. And I think so many people dealing with injuries don't take that into account," Duffy said.
Symptoms of cerebral palsy vary from person to person, depending on which parts of the brain have been affected, and may even change over a person's lifetime, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
"I just hope that one person can realize they're going through this battle with a whole community rallying around them," Duffy said.
When Duffy was cleared to do certain softball-related exercises after surgery, she said she felt like her true self again. She's looking forward to getting back on the field.
"I hope to continue to grow my platform to get the word out to people. And I hope to be back playing softball soon and really doing what I love," Duffy said.
(NEW YORK) -- Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery is reportedly headed to Detroit.
Citing a source, ESPN reports Montgomery, 25, has agreed on a three-year, $18 million deal with the Detroit Lions. The contract includes $11 million guaranteed.
Montgomery was drafted by the Bears in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. Since then, he has totaled 3,609 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns in his four seasons with Chicago.
(NEW YORK) -- Here are the scores from Tuesday's sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING TRAINING
INTERLEAGUE
Miami 1, Houston 0
Baltimore 7, Pittsburgh 6
Cincinnati 5, Kansas City 3
Pittsburgh 2, Minnesota 2
St. Louis 3, Houston 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 7, Minnesota 4
Final Detroit 6, Boston 2
LA Angels 8, Cleveland 6
Seattle 8, Kansas City 6
Chi White Sox 5, Oakland 4
NY Yankees 10, Toronto 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 5, NY Mets 0
Atlanta 15, Philadelphia 5
San Francisco 7, Arizona 6
Colorado 5, Chi Cubs 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 117, Detroit 97
Cleveland 120, Charlotte 104
Toronto 125, Denver 110
San Antonio 132, Orlando 114
LA Lakers 123, New Orleans 108
Oklahoma City 121, Brooklyn 107
New York 123, Portland 107
Milwaukee 116, Phoenix 104
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Columbus 6, San Jose 5 (OT)
Los Angeles 5, NY Islanders 2
Carolina 5, Winnipeg 3
Vegas 5, Philadelphia 3
Tampa Bay 4, New Jersey 1
Montreal 6, Pittsburgh 4
NY Rangers 5, Washington 3
Nashville 2, Detroit 1
Chicago 6, Boston 3
Edmonton 6, Ottawa 3
Vancouver 5, Dallas 2
Arizona 4, Calgary 3 (OT)
(NEW YORK) -- Starr Andrews recently made history as the first Black woman to medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 35 years.
The 21-year-old skater has been open about her push to bring more diversity to the sport and inspire others.
She spoke with ABC News Live Monday about her pewter medal win at the event and representation in the sport.
ABC NEWS LIVE: And a huge congratulations to you on recently becoming the first Black woman to medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 35 years. So how did that feel in that moment? We're showing your picture right now on your knees, hand to your head, just seemingly in disbelief.
STARR ANDREWS: It was an amazing experience and I've been to a good few national championships. So this one, it just felt so special. And the first time I ever skated at senior level, which is the highest level you can skate, is in San Jose. And we were back in San Jose earlier this year and I was super excited to have medaled there. My first senior U.S. Championship medal ever, so I was really excited.
ABC NEWS LIVE: Understandably so. Talk to me about your journey to figure skating. How did you start and what motivated you to continue?
ANDREWS: So I started at the young age of three and a half, and my mom introduced me since I could walk; very, very small. I loved it as soon as I saw my mom skating. I was like, it looks so fun and I want to get out there. And once she put me on those skates and got me on the ice, I just loved it. And I still love it so much to this day, just like how I was when I first learned about figure skating. And I think that my journey has been long and I'm definitely still going through my journey, but it's all been very exciting and just I just love it so much.
ABC NEWS LIVE: We can tell just right from the start. You were such a natural and early on in your career you were diagnosed with super ventricular tachycardia, which causes your heart to beat much faster than normal. How has your experience with SVT influenced your approach to training and competition and what steps you take to manage your condition while skating?
ANDREWS: I was, I wasn't diagnosed until a year ago. The first time I ever had that experience, I was 12 years old and I went undiagnosed for a long time. The doctor told me that I was fine and that it didn't happen long enough for it to be a problem. I knew it was a problem because it wasn't a normal thing to happen to just anybody. And one time it happened at a very big competition and, unfortunately, I had to pull out of the competition.
I think from the moment my mom was like, OK, we really need to figure out what this is, because if it's going to affect huge competitions like this, imagine if it's if it's at national championships or at a world championships, and it happens in your short program and you can't finish. That would just be heartbreaking, especially because I worked so hard to get up to that point. So it was definitely something that was difficult to skate with, especially not knowing what it was for so long. But now that I know what it was and that I had the surgery, it's been so much less stressful going to competition and not having to worry about that.
ABC NEWS LIVE: I can imagine. And thinking back on your career, what advice would you give to other young Black girls who may be interested in pursuing figure skating or other sports, but just may not see people who look like them in those spaces?
ANDREWS: I would just tell them to do what you love and believe in yourself. You can do anything you put your mind up to and don't ever doubt yourself because I feel like I did that for a little while and there's really no reason to. Just believe in yourself.
ABC NEWS LIVE: Good advice there. Before we let you go, what are your future goals and plans in figure skating and what steps are you taking toward them?
ANDREWS: My future goals are definitely to make it to the next Olympic Games. That's my No. 1 goal. And I have little goals in between that to medal more at competitions and just to keep inspiring little girls and little boys out there who want to also ice skate or do anything that they put their minds up to.
ABC NEWS LIVE: Are you seeing some progress when it comes to minorities becoming ice skaters?
ANDREWS: I am. There are a lot of communities and a lot of organizations that are coming together and definitely making sure that there's more diversity in ice skating. And I love it. It's something that I never saw when I was younger. So it's great to see it happening now and see it changing.
(NEW YORK) -- Kara Goucher, one of the fastest female long-distance runners in American history, describes a "secret world" of professional running in her new memoir.
"Running is life-changing," Goucher told Good Morning America. "It's given me so much freedom and strength and power."
In her new memoir, The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team, Goucher says for the first time publicly that she is the woman behind the sexual assault allegations that led to her former coach Alberto Salazar to be banned from the sport for life in 2021.
"Alberto Salazar was very, very powerful. He was a legend. He won the Boston Marathon. He won the New York City Marathon three years in a row," said Goucher, who added that as she got to know him, she liked him more.
Goucher said she first met Salazar in 2004 when she and her now-husband were approached by Nike to join the prestigious running team "The Oregon Project," an immersive training environment for an elite team of athletes.
"We just couldn't believe this program, all of the money behind it, all of the equipment behind it. I became the first woman to join and I was just excited with that backing," she said. "Where could I take my running?"
She said she realized that the opportunity could turn into something more and that Salazar could help her get to the Olympics.
"At first I just wanted something new, but the longer I was there, I really believed that he was the person that could get me there, so much so that later on I felt like I was nothing without him," said Goucher, who went on to represent the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics.
Goucher said that while she made great strides with Salazar and was running some of her fastest times, she rationalized what she said was unusual -- Salazar sometimes personally massaging his athletes.
"I had never seen a coach give an athlete a massage," she said. "And so I just thought, 'That's Alberto. He's just so dedicated. He's even willing to give his athletes massages.'"
Adding, "It was unusual at first, but I kind of convinced myself that that was normal."
Goucher said she felt something was wrong when she was in Rieti, Italy, for a race and she said she found herself alone in a hotel room with Salazar.
"He was giving me a post-workout, pre-race, what he would call a 'flush,'" said Goucher. "If I'm being honest, I just totally froze. I was thinking, 'There's no way he's touching me like that. I'm imagining this. He's just a bad masseuse.'"
Goucher said a similar incident happened years later while the two were in Lisbon for a race.
"He goes to give me a massage, it was the same situation where I felt his finger was going where it shouldn't be going. And I was so uncomfortable," she said.
At the time, Goucher said she didn't tell anyone about the massage.
"I felt shameful about it. I also felt like maybe it was just a mistake," she said.
Goucher left The Oregon Project in 2011 and said she never spoke about the alleged assaults until she was questioned by lawyers about doping allegations brought against Salazar by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. In 2019, Salazar was suspended for four years by that agency for doping violations -- allegations he has denied.
In 2021, the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a governing body to protect professional athletes from sexual abuse, banned Salazar from the sport at the Olympic level for life for "sexual misconduct." The organization did not identify the accuser and the New York Times later reported that an arbitrator's ruling indicated the ban was based on a finding of violations that included two instances of inappropriate touching during an athletic massage. In her memoir, Goucher says she testified for SafeSport about the alleged touching by Salazar and that her allegations were the basis for the lifetime ban.
Nike said in a statement to ABC News, in part, "Sexual misconduct has no place in sports or society and is something we stand vehemently against.... Alberto is no longer a contracted coach, and we shuttered the Oregon Project several years ago ... Mr. Salazar did not engage in any doping of his athletes and not a single Oregon Project athlete was found to have violated the rules."
Salazar also told ABC News, in part, "Any claim that Ms. Goucher was sexually assaulted by me is categorically untrue.... I have never sexually assaulted Ms. Goucher and never would have done so. The accusation is deeply hurtful and abhorrent and contrary to my fundamental beliefs as a husband, father and deeply devout Catholic."
Goucher says she has mixed feelings knowing Salazar will not participate in the sport at the highest levels again.
"Honestly, it makes me a little sad because I know how much he loves it. I think that's his whole life," she said. "But at the end of the day, he should not be coaching."
Goucher wrote in her book that ultimately her power is not in her legs -- but in her voice.
"It is my responsibility to use my voice," she said, "and to fight for other people."
Statement from Nike
Sexual misconduct has no place in sports or society and is something we stand vehemently against. As a company, we've always taken great pride as a leader in supporting female athletes. We know that Nike can continue to play an elevated role in supporting female athletes and improving their experience in sports.
Alberto is no longer a contracted coach, and we shuttered the Oregon project several years ago. In July 2021, we were informed of a preliminary decision from the U.S. Center for SafeSport to ban Mr. Salazar from coaching for "Sexual Misconduct & Emotional Misconduct." Following SafeSport's decision, we changed the Alberto Salazar building name at our World Headquarters to Next%.
Nike does not condone the use of banned substances in any manner. The doping allegations have been extensively investigated and arbitrated. In 2021 a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel reaffirmed that Mr. Salazar did not engage in any doping of his athletes and not a single Oregon Project athlete was found to have violated the rules.
Statement from Alberto Salazar
Any claim that Ms. Goucher was sexually assaulted by me is categorically untrue. I am deeply saddened by Ms. Goucher's false claim. I worked with Ms. Goucher as her coach for nearly seven years, from October 2004 to September 2011, when Ms. Goucher was 26 to 33 years old. We had a strong professional relationship, and Ms. Goucher and her husband became friends with my wife and family during the time we worked together. Ms. Goucher achieved a number of professional successes during my coaching of her, but when I became unable to provide the coaching and support that Ms. Goucher needed to achieve her goals, Ms. Goucher left and retained another coach. I have never sexually assaulted Ms. Goucher and never would have done so. The accusation is deeply hurtful and abhorrent and contrary to my fundamental beliefs as a husband, father and deeply devout Catholic.
