An Iranian immigrant in the USA, Neggy is 36 years old and dreamed of becoming a professional bodybuilder. For that, she hired James Ayotte, a well-known trainer in the field, and subjected herself to an intense training plan and a strict diet. She was found unconscious in her apartment.
Neggy Shelton, a 36-year-old bodybuilder, followed an aggressive training plan, with two-and-a-half-hour sessions and just 890 calories a day, on the advice of her trainer, James Ayotte. “I have low energy and sometimes I get dizzy,” she complained. “No problem. Do your best,” Ayotte replied. “But don’t cheat on the diet!” Two days later, Neggy was found unconscious in her apartment in Ashburn, Virginia, USA, with a dangerously low blood glucose level, according to medical records reviewed by The Washington Post. This happened on November 9th and, since then, the athlete is practically unconscious and only survives with the help of machines.
Doctors concluded that Shelton’s hypoglycemic state was “probably related to diet, supplements and exercise” and caused brain damage. The family has been warned that she may never recover.
The story of Shelton, an Iranian immigrant who dreamed of competing professionally, exposes the dangers of a sport with little supervision and no qualifications required of coaches, who often dictate every aspect of athletes’ lives, from food and water intake , to their exercise regimen, medication plan and supplements during the months they prepare for a competition.
But when something goes wrong, athletes suffer the consequences — with little or no repercussions for coaches, the Washington Post found. In this case, Ayotte denied any responsibility for what happened.
At the time, Shelton was preparing for a contest in Virginia organized by the National Physique Committee, the nation’s premier amateur bodybuilding federation. At most of these events there are no widespread screening tests for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.
The federation declined to respond to the newspaper’s queries, but in an earlier statement it said: “The health, safety and well-being of all our competitors is and always will be of the utmost importance to us.”
James Ayotte, from bodybuilding star to accused of sexual misconduct and drug trafficking
When Shelton first encountered Ayotte on Instagram last year, he already had a large following on social media and was posting photos of his clients’ transformations, which he refers to as “eggs”. His company, Team Atlas, is located in Montreal, Canada.
At 30, he is a successful businessman. With no medical training, he started working as a trainer after struggling with his own obesity and did a year of “self-research” before training his first bodybuilding client, according to a 2020 interview. having hundreds of clients with “unbelievable results” since 2015, many of whom compete as bodybuilders, reads on their website.
Ayotte has carved out a prominent place in the industry, helping to secure sponsorships for contests across the country. Some of Ayotte’s top athletes, including competitor India Paulino, have praised him for helping them achieve their goals. “Having the right trainer is crucial to success and health,” Paulino said in an Instagram post, about two months before Shelton was found unconscious. “James pays attention to detail and makes you feel like you are the only person he is training even though he trains hundreds of women.”
But not everything goes well for Ayotte. In 2018, two bodybuilding organizations in Canada suspended him after several athletes accused Ayotte of sexual misconduct, including requests for nude photos, according to Georgina Dunnington, former president of the Canadian Bodybuilding Federation. In recent years, in addition to inappropriate sexual conduct, Ayotte has been accused by former clients of drawing up preparation plans for competitions considered “dangerous” and of supplying drugs to improve the performance of athletes, according to several interviews, emails, messages, videos and even police records seen by The Post.
“I train thousands of girls, right? And 99.9% are super satisfied with my service and happy,” Ayotte told The Post, denying all allegations.
Neggy Shelton: The Fight for a Dream
Shelton moved to the United States in 2018, alone. Her family is linked to sports – her father won judo competitions and her brother was a bodybuilder. In 2021, Shelton decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps and participated in his first contest. Her dream was to one day open a gym in the United States, as her family had done in Iran.
But first, she needed to go professional. Last November, Shelton hired Ayotte without knowing anything about the trainer’s history or the allegations against him, the family told The Washington Post. Shelton paid about $1,200 (1,130 euros) a quarter for coaching, according to PayPal receipts. She trusted Ayotte completely.
“Today I’m an Atlas egg”, commented Shelton, proudly.
“She thought of James as a god,” said Negar Shaltuki, Neggy’s sister who recently arrived in the United States with her mother, Sedighe Mousavi, on emergency visas. Her family gave The Post access to Shelton’s medical records, as well as Instagram and Facebook messages with Ayotte to help understand what happened.
Neggy Shelton worked as a freelance graphic designer and at the same time spent almost a year preparing with Ayotte, with online consultations. In the first few months, the focus was on weight loss. To do this, she had a strict diet and took various drugs to suppress appetite and speed up metabolism, as well as steroids and other hormonal drugs.
Weekly Facebook check-ins reveal that, in early October, Neggy was on a meal plan of 890 calories while having to burn nearly 1,000 – a task that usually required a two-and-a-half-hour workout. As her competition date, Nov. 12, approached, Ayotte increased the amount of calories she was expending — to 1,100 and then to 1,200 — and advised her to increase her doses of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, according to with Facebook message exchanges and a voicemail obtained by The Post. At that time, her health complaints also increased, according to family members. She was dizzy, felt weak.
On November 9, Neggy stopped responding to messages from family and friends. A concerned friend convinced the landlord to open her apartment door that night.
Shelton’s family and friends are trying to raise money for her medical expenses as she did not have health insurance. They celebrated her 36th birthday at the end of last month at the hospital with cake and balloons. Her sister painted her nails bright pink. Shaltuki and her mother spend almost two hours on transport every day to see Neggy. From time to time she opens her eyes and seems to recognize them, but most of the time she is unconscious.
Meanwhile, James Ayotte continues to go about his life as if nothing ever happened. Last weekend, in Las Vegas, the coach took a picture, beaming with the results of his athletes.
Tags: Neggy Shelton trained collapsed Aspiring bodybuilder recover
