Two words from a coach nearly killed her – now she’s an elite athlete and mother

A chance remark from a visiting coach triggered a decade-long battle with eating disorders for Finnish athlete Saga Yli-Hannuksela Poutanen, who has now recovered and speaks openly about her struggle to reduce stigma, reports Yle.

At 26, Yli-Hannuksela Poutanen is a mother of three, a master’s student, and a top-level athlete in Jyväskylä. But six years ago, her life looked very different. Her eating disorder, which began as anorexia at age 12, had evolved into severe bulimia—an illness she hid from the world while feeling profound shame.

Her ordeal started in 2012 when a Russian gymnastics coach told her, then at a normal weight, that she was “fat.” The comment sparked anorexia so severe that by 15, she was hospitalised with heart failure. Though she physically recovered, the disorder morphed into a cycle of bingeing and purging—one she faced alone, as outsiders assumed her anorexia was “cured.”

“I was much sicker than I’d ever been,” she told Yle. With no support for bulimia, she left gymnastics but continued wrestling, a sport that ultimately helped her reclaim her health.

Experts warn that eating disorders remain under-treated in Finland, despite updated national guidelines. Anu Raevuori, professor of adolescent psychiatry at the University of Helsinki, notes that bulimia often goes unnoticed because sufferers may appear normal or overweight. Yet the disorder carries serious health risks, including increased mortality.

“Bulimia and binge-eating disorders are wrongly perceived as milder than anorexia,” Raevuori said. She called for better training for healthcare professionals to recognise and treat all forms of eating disorders, including their psychological roots—perfectionism, self-loathing, and deep insecurity.

Katri Mikkilä of the Finnish Eating Disorder Association (Syömishäiriöliitto) emphasised the need for improved aftercare. Many patients recover physically from acute phases but are left without support as the disorder shifts form. “They’re often alone just when they need help the most,” Mikkilä said.

Yli-Hannuksela Poutanen now shares her story to combat the stigma that kept her silent. “I want others to know they’re not alone—and that recovery is possible,” she said.