The enormous pressure on elite athletes to maintain a lean figure could ultimately change the demographics of who can compete at the Olympics.
That’s according to New York Times sports reporter Karen Crouse, who broke the news that figure skater Adam Rippon succumbed to an eating disorder to maintain his body shape.
“The more it is about appearance, you’re going to get kids in the sport that are younger and younger. You have teenagers whose metabolism is still pretty high and they don’t have these weight issues,” she told Cheddar. “Maybe we are going to see in the future far fewer elite skaters that are 28 years old like Adam.”
Rippon, who won a bronze medal in this year’s Games, revealed to Crouse that he subsisted for a time on a daily diet of three slices of bread with a dab of “I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter” and a couple cups of coffee.
He thought the longer, thinner frame would be more aesthetically pleasing to the judges. But a broken foot last year changed his mind.
“He actually thinks that one of the reasons he suffered this injury was that he wasn’t getting enough calcium and other nutrients, and that made his bones brittle,” Crouse said. “He’s now eating much better and actually is ten pounds heavier than he was two years ago when he won that national title. And if you look at him, he has an enviable body.”
Since his injury, Rippon has been workin with a nutritionist with the United States Olympic Committee who’s helped him develop healthier eating habits.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018.
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said West Virginia is the company's next, best opportunity for replicating the monster success it's seen in New Jersey as it rolls out a mobile sportsbook in the Mountain State. "West Virginia is an early mover and I think they're being smart and thoughtful about how they actually legislated and regulated," Robins told Cheddar Friday.
After the gymnastics world was rocked by a major sex abuse scandal, the sport's most decorated Olympic athlete says education for child athletes can protect them from similar abuse in the future. The Magnificent Seven's Shannon Miller told Cheddar that fear of abuse should never prevent young athletes from pursuing their sport.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018.
Riot's COO is suspended, Fortnite vaults the Infinity Blade, and Overwatch League announces its plans for Season 2. Featuring beastcoast CEO Grant Zinn, University of Califonia and Irvine Director of Esports Mark Deppe. Plus - EndGameTV COO Aiden McCaig previews Smash Ultimate's first major, Don't Park on the Grass 2018.
China is considering banning battle royale games, the legendary Virtus.Pro roster disbands, and the Winter Royale is ruined by the Infinity Blade.Featuring interviews with Ghost Gaming's Kayuun, DC Overwatch Assistant GM Kate Mitchell, StackUp Director of Veteran Services Dave Crouse, and a Capcom Cup preview with Amanda Stevens.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 17, 2018.
New Jersey is on track to overtake Las Vegas as the new sports betting mecca, Darren Rovell, senior executive producer at The Action Network, told Cheddar in an interview Friday. With fewer than 7 months of sports betting on its books, New Jersey is expected to hit $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion in bets by the end of the year, Rovell said.
