University of Utah Gymnast Kara Eaker has announced early retirement at the age of 20 on her Instagram account due to being abused by her coach, have a look at her age, height and parents
Kara’s announcement of her retirement from the sport and her withdrawal from the University of Utah on October 20 sent shockwaves through the gymnastics community. She revealed that the reason behind her decision was the “verbal and emotional abuse” she had endured under head a coach.
Who is Kara Eaker as University of Utah gymnastics star retires after abuse by coach, bio, age, height, parents
In a heartfelt Instagram post @ _karaeaker, she shared her pain and struggles with the world, shedding light on the silent suffering that can occur behind the scenes of athletic success.
Kara described the distressing moments when she was subjected to relentless ridicule and angry outbursts from her coach. She mentioned that these emotional and verbal attacks occurred in individual coach-athlete meetings, where she felt isolated and powerless against the condescending, sarcastic, and manipulative tactics.
While her experiences were deeply troubling, Kara Eaker’s decision to speak out is an act of immense bravery. She recognized the importance of shedding light on the abusive culture within gymnastics, ensuring that no other young athletes suffer in silence. In her own words, “I’m speaking out for all the women who can’t because they are mentally debilitated and paralyzed by fear.”
Eaker does not name any coach in her post but Tom Farden has been coaching at Utah since 2011, a co-head coach from 2016-2019 and sole head coach from 2020. Last month, an investigation into Farden by Husch Blackwell and the university conducted an investigation into Tom Farden, which concluded that he had not engaged in severe, pervasive, or egregious acts of emotional or verbal abuse of student-athletes. However, the report did acknowledge that Coach Farden had made derogatory comments.
Forever remembering Kara Eaker at her best! Such an wonderful and precise gymnast❤️
My heart breaks as I stand with her in this atrocious situation💔pic.twitter.com/XVG2u1uzUf— Alessandro (@_alessandrosola) October 21, 2023
Kara Eaker’s decision to speak out against abuse and share her experiences has sparked widespread support from the gymnastics community and beyond. Fellow gymnasts, both past and present, have stood in solidarity with Kara, offering their encouragement and empathy.
In addition to her extraordinary athletic career, Kara Eaker standing at 1.52 m has also achieved significant financial success.
Although her biological parents were Asian, she was later adopted by American parents named Mark and Katherine Eaker.
Kara was born in Jiangxi, China as Kara Ming and was adopted in 2003 when she moved to Missouri.