Claudia Poll, Costa Rica’s only Olympic gold medalist, and two other former swimmers from the country, alleged on Monday that they suffered psychological, physical, and sexual abuse by well-known local coach Francisco Rivas, who has denied the accusations. “I suffered all the (psychological) abuses possible” from Rivas, said Poll, who won gold in the 200-meter freestyle at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Former national team swimmer Marcela Cuesta claimed she was sexually abused by Rivas when she was a minor.
The allegations were made during Interferencia, an investigative journalism program on the University of Costa Rica’s radio network. Rivas “always checked my personal belongings, stole my phones (…). When it was still possible, he paid to have my conversations recorded (…), went through my trash,” recounted Poll, who also won two bronze medals at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
“One time, he took used condoms from my trash, photocopied them, showed them to me, and demanded I tell him who they belonged to,” said the 52-year-old former athlete. The coach, who remains active, denied the accusations. “In Claudia’s case, I’m shocked. It’s not true, I must say categorically,” he told Teletica.
“Categorically, officially, and unequivocally everything is false. None of the statements are true,” added Rivas, who claimed he was Poll’s business partner at the H2O swim club until 2022, which “caused distance” between them. Rivas, 75, has spent five decades coaching, led six Olympic teams, and is described by the Costa Rican Sports Gallery as “the most successful swimming coach in Latin America.”
Marcela Cuesta, who retired from competition at age 16, said, “When I was very young, he tried to touch my private parts, and I immediately rejected him.” “He never did it again and was careful not to repeat it,” added the 53-year-old, who won three Pan American medals at the 1987 Indianapolis Games.
“I remember when Francisco would say to me: ‘You’re brilliant, you’re wonderful, you have incredible talent, but God made you stupid, you’re dumb,’” she added. Cuesta noted she reported the abuse to the Costa Rican Swimming Federation months ago, but was told the incidents were “past the statute of limitations.”
Former swimmer Manuel Rojas also said he suffered “physical and psychological abuse” from Rivas. He recalled one incident when Rivas insisted on giving him massages, even though the federation had a physiotherapist. “It wasn’t a massage—it was beating (…). I felt fists on my legs, elbows in my back—it wasn’t therapy, it caused injuries,” he said.
Rivas refuted those claims as well: “Not only did Rojas return to swim with me, but he also brought his two daughters, aged 10 or 11, to train with me.” “If at some point my behavior was inappropriate, why would he come back?” Rivas questioned.
