Athlete Alexa Lemitre says sexual assault – Libération

2024-08-21 09:41:07

Sexual violencedossier

The central midfielder said Monday he had been the victim of sexual violence at the hands of an unnamed “coach”.

“In some situations, the biggest mistake you can make is trusting the wrong person.” In an Instagram post posted online on Monday, August 19, middle-distance champion and 3,000-meter steeplechase specialist Alexa Lemitre denounced the sexual violence of which she said she was a victim.

When he spoke to his attacker, who did not give his name, it was clear that he was “religious”, the 26-year-old girl from Albi (Tarn), asserts: “NO sir, when you say no, it doesn’t mean yes.”

Through his words, we can guess repeatedly the attacks while Alexa Lemitre will have explained many times that he did not receive his consent. “NO sir, you are not wrong, when they tell you three times, you understand but you continue anyway. […] Oh and NO sir, if you think you are “ruling”, you will not have to start again the second time”. Write an athlete.

A state of weakness

Also, Alexa Lemitre explained that she was in a vulnerable state after drinking alcohol, which her attacker would have taken advantage of. “NO sir, when a person is in front of you, you can no longer control your actions, there is no concentration,” he argued, continuing: “NO, the fact of drinking alcohol does not prove the fact that such things can happen.” Finally, the young woman reminds us that it is not so “not normal” for the coach to have sexual relations with the athlete, and “to abuse and destroy the trust of the athlete-coach relationship to achieve his ends”. In another publication, he expressed his reluctance to talk about the matter, saying that he had no “no more shame”. Contacted, Albi’s public prosecutor’s office confirmed that the actress did not file a complaint.

Slowed down by physical problems and wanting to continue her studies, she announced this year that she would not participate in the Paris Olympics, ending her career as a top athlete. She is following an engineering course in Toulouse and will do her final internship in Quebec, where she plans to “amendment”.

Update at 4:14 pm: with a response from the Albi public prosecutor’s office.