Hutchison was an assistant coach on the 2008 U.S. Olympic swim team in Beijing, and head coach of 2009 U.S. team at the world championships. Kukors, a former world record-holder in the 200-meter individual medley, was among his top pupils, along with Olympic medalists Margaret Hoelzer and Katie Hoff.
Kukors’s statement
Kukors, a Seattle-area native, claims Hutchison began grooming her for a sexual relationship when she was 13, and he was her coach at King Aquatic Club in Washington.
“I never thought I would share my story because I was able to leave a horrible monster and build a life I could have never imagined for myself,” she said in a statement. “But in time, I’ve realized that stories like my own are too important to go unwritten.”
Hutchison’s statement
“At no time did I ever abuse Ariana Kukors or do anything with her that was not consensual,” Hutchison, who has not been charged with a crime, said. He released a statement through his attorney on Thursday, denying Kukors’s allegations.
After the 2012 Olympics, when Kukors was 23 and Hutchinson was 41, the two dated and lived together for more than a year, he said.
When he and Kukors dated, Hutchison said, Kukors’s younger sister lived with them for several months, and Kukors’s mother visited them regularly.
“I deeply regret that she would make these wild allegations all these years later,” Hutchison said.
USA Swimming’s statement
In 2010, Hutchison resigned his post at a training center for several top American swimmers, after allegations arose he was engaged in an improper sexual relationship with one of his swimmers.
USA Swimming issued a statement Thursday morning that read, in part, “Ariana Kukors’ recent public statement marked the first time USA Swimming learned of the allegations that Sean Hutchison sexually abused Ariana when she was a minor.
“In 2010, USA Swimming became aware of a rumored relationship between Hutchison and then 21-year-old Ariana via a third-party. Based on the information, USA Swimming retained an independent private investigator and conducted a full investigation into the rumor and the possible Code of Conduct violation.
“During the USA Swimming investigation, both Ariana and Hutchison, as well as Ariana’s sister, Emily, unequivocally denied the existence of a romantic or sexual relationship.”
In 2011, the organization announced it had found no evidence of an improper relationship.
In a news release, Bob Allard, Kukors’s attorney and an outspoken critic of Olympic sports organizations’ handling of sex abuse prevention, accused USA Swimming of failing to act on suspicions of abuse.
“USA Swimming had notice in 2010 that Sean Hutchison was involved in an inappropriate coach-athlete relationship with Ariana and took no actions to protect her or other swimmers,” Allard said.
USA Swimming officials did not immediately reply to emailed requests to comment Thursday morning.
