Eugenia Bosco: Olympic Silver Medalist speaks out on overcoming childhood abuse to inspire change
by Alexia Lahoud / 49er and Nacra 17 Sailing 14 Jan 15:54 GMT
Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 8 August, 2024 © World Sailing / Jean-Louis Carli
Eugenia Bosco, the exceptionally talented Nacra 17 sailor who recently secured a silver medal alongside her teammate Mateo Majdalani at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has shared a deeply personal story that transcends her accomplishments in sailing.
In an emotional interview with La Nación, Eugenia revealed that she experienced sexual abuse as a young athlete while competing in the Optimist sailing class.
For years, she carried the weight of this trauma in silence, but through courage and self-reflection, she has found the strength to speak openly about her experience. Her decision to share her story is an act of bravery that shines a light on the challenges some athletes face behind the scenes and serves as a source of inspiration for others to begin their own journeys toward healing.
Here is Eugenia's powerful account from the interview with La Nacion:
"Getting to the point where I am now, winning a silver medal, I start thinking of everything that has come with this moment. The medal is really all what people see, it's the end product. But I think back at everything I've been through to get to this point. There are very nice moments but also very bad ones that bring us to where we get to in life.
Last year in 2024 I decided to denounce something, that ended a stage in my life. A sexual abuse case of when I was sailing optimist. It's something that happened when I was 11-12 years old. And I kind of forgot about it. Not so long ago, I managed to get it back into my mind. I always knew I had something in me, that something was not completely right. I didn't know what it was, but I knew there was something. And the moment I remembered what happened to me, a lot of things about me started to make sense.
Things happened when I started traveling alone. I was going to Buenos Aires, to the sailing club, sometimes with my brother, sometimes alone. And sometimes we spent the night in this club, under the supervision my ex-coach" [Leandro Tulia]. "You think you're safe, and in good hands, your parents also think you're safe because it's a trust-worthy environment. We spent many hours under this person's supervision."
In the club we were like a group. And things happened in this little circle, we were like a little sect. You only start to realize later in life, when you're older. I think back and realize that what was happening was not ok.
At the time, you don't know anything else. That's your reality. But when you grow up and meet other people, join different clubs, then you start to realize what was going on.
What I remember, is that I loved to go sailing, I liked my friends and I didn't want my parents to take this away from me. So I never told them about it. Somehow, this person created a silencing method in the group. All the group would not speak about what was happening. Our coach would say things like "what happens here stays here."
I never had an impulse to tell my parents. Everything just got cancelled in my head. It just happened, and I just I forgot about it. I didn't want to have to say goodbye to my club, my friends. It's crazy, because 5 years ago when I realized, I was watching a documentary about this, (Athlete A) and I started crying, and that's the moment I realized what had happened to me. It's like the mental block had faded away. It was crazy. But thanks to the psychologist I managed to start expressing this, and talking about it, and it got me to the point where I am now.
The documentary came out in 2020, and the Games were in 2021. Simone Biles, who was in the documentary and explaining about her sexual abuse did not compete that year, even though she was the favorite, and everyone predicted her to win records. And I just felt so sorry for her because I really felt what she was going through. And how strong she was to decide not to compete because of all of this that happened. And now you can tell that she has really worked through it, she was with her service dog at the Games in Paris 2024 and it was so good to see her "reborn" and stronger than before.
All this is something that I've been working on a lot. I realized what had happened to me during Covid, in the middle of my Olympic campaign. I started thinking about all the mental challenges that I had to face. And with time I started to get better in that sense and I started to understand a lot of things about myself.
After the Panamerican Games, I talked with my father, who helped me a lot. And one day we were talking on the phone and the topic of sexual abuse came up in conversation again. You know, sometimes you forget and sometimes you remember, that's how it goes. And I felt like it was not resolved in my head and I didn't know how to keep going forward.
My father told me "listen, get it out, now, right now. Out of your head. You have a much bigger objective in 7-8 months. (the Olympics) and I'm not saying that it's going to go away forever, it's going to come back a thousand times, but you have to try to focus on what you are doing. And in the future you will be able to work on this."
And I told him he was right. In times like these you want to work on healing this part of you, but also in the moment where I was, I thought: If I managed to live with this for so long, I can postpone it for a bit longer. And that's what I did. I managed to focus on the Games, and it went very well. But when the euphoria started to fade after winning the Silver medal, when I got back to Barcelona, the issue came back to my mind. I didn't know what to do. But with a lot of help I managed to denounce my coach, and after that moment I felt really relieved. It helped me heal a lot. I couldn't stop crying the day before I went to denounce him. But the moment I did it, I felt so strong, like "Wow this feels good".
I went through many stages to get to where I am now. Embarrassment, denial, feeling guilty for it, and then after a bit I put it on the table and realized... I was only 12, I was not in control of the situation and actually why not say something about it and speak up?
I will never be able to get it out of my head, but I need to keep going and live with it as best as I can.
The first person I told was my psychologist, who helped a lot. And when I travelled home, I told my parents right away. And from then on, they helped me through the whole process. Which was quite long. Some people can talk about it right away, for others it takes 5 years, for others their whole lives and some never even talk about it. I was luckily working with a psychologist and slowly managed to talk openly about it, also with some friends.
What happened to me as a kid definitely conditioned me in my life. In many things. For example, I can never say "No"to people. Sometimes I don't want to do something but I still do it, because someone tells me that I have to do it. Maybe also the lies, and hiding things, as well...
Sometimes I need to worry more about saying "No" which will help me a lot, and I should not worry about what the other person will feel if I say "No" to something I don't want to do.
Many times I wanted to say something but I didn't because I was afraid of being criticized, or that I was guilty, but also for embarrassment, thinking I was the only one.
For all these years, until 2020, the sexual abuse was stuck in my subconscious. I never thought about it. It was a silence. But there was noise in the silence and with time I understood where it came from. I knew that there were some traits of my personality that I didn't like and I didn't understand why I was like that. Why was I so reserved? Why was I trying to hide things? And not say anything ever? Why could I never say NO?
Also, I'll never forget this moment... One time a guy asked me out. We were in a championship and he had a car and offered to drive me home. Towards the end of the ride on our way back home, he asked me if I wanted to go for a drink with him. And honestly I just really wanted to go home. And I said "no" and I felt a bit guilty at first, but also SO GOOD that I said "no". I felt like I could say no! It's something so simple, but it made me feel so good with myself. It's so basic but I could get so happy with so little after what I've been through.
Now I'm in a very healthy relationship where I can talk openly about everything with my partner. But it took time for me to realize that I could do this with someone. But it's life, for everyone it's like this in the beginning of a relationship.
At the end, who you are is because of what they teach you as a kid. When you're young, the people who surround you are so important, they shape who you become. I was spending most of my time in this place, the sailing club, trying to have fun with friends, but going through things that are actually not normal. But now, I'm really proud to be here in this moment, it's been a long road full of internal fights and personal growth. But at the end it's about letting it go in certain moments to focus on other things, and also knowing that you can continue and finish working on it.
I hope the message goes out, not for the media but to bring more awareness. It's a good message for people, for kids, for coaches, for people who work with kids, or for women, just any situations in the world. Age doesn't even matter. But you have to have empathy in others, because even just a comment can really mess up a person. You are forming people when they are kids, so you have a huge responsibility. It's something which today I see with my cousins, when I take care of them I feel so much responsibility.
Now I'm happy about everything I am doing. This is a huge achievement for me. I don't want to make my silver medal sound like nothing of course, it's one of my biggest achievements, but speaking up about my past is at the top too for me. And I keep growing. It's two different things but with a huge importance."
Eugenia's courage and resilience in sharing her story are profoundly inspiring to the sailing community and beyond. By coming forward, she not only raises awareness of critical issues within sports but also empowers others to speak their truths and seek support.
As the Nacra 17 organization, we stand with Eugenia in full solidarity and are immensely proud of her—not only for her silver medal but for the strength and authenticity she has shown in speaking up.
Eugenia, your bravery and determination exemplify what it means to be a true role model. You inspire us all—not just as an athlete, but as a person who has overcome immense challenges to stand tall and encourage change. Thank you for sharing your story and for leading with courage, grace, and hope.