‘Like cutting the head off a hydra’: how Mary Cain exposed Nike’s disgraced coaching team
Mary Cain, a former track prodigy, rose to prominence at 17 by competing in the world championships and later joined Nike's Oregon Project. In her new memoir, she details the abusive environment she endured under coach Alberto Salazar. Her revelations have contributed to broader scrutiny of coaching practices in elite athletics.
- ▪Mary Cain became the youngest American to make a world championships team in 2013 at age 17.
- ▪She joined Nike's Oregon Project under coach Alberto Salazar, where she experienced emotional and physical abuse.
- ▪Cain's public allegations led to an investigation and Salazar's eventual ban from coaching.
- ▪She describes being pressured to lose weight, which led to serious health consequences including amenorrhea and depression.
- ▪Her memoir, released at age 29, aims to expose systemic issues in elite women's sports.
- ▪The Oregon Project was disbanded in 2019 following widespread criticism and doping allegations.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Mary Cain. Photograph: Carter ChristmanView image in fullscreenMary Cain. Photograph: Carter ChristmanAthletics‘Like cutting the head off a hydra’: how Mary Cain exposed Nike’s disgraced coaching team The track prodigy made it to world championships at 17 and joined Nike’s Oregon Project. At 29, Cain is detailing the hellish years under coach Alberto Salazar in her new memoirMaggie MertensTue 28 Apr 2026 07.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 29 Apr 2026 07.22 EDTShare@font-face{font-family:Guardian Headline Full;src:url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Light.woff2) format("woff2"),url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Light.woff)…
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