I WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED BY USA GYMNASTICS DOCTOR LARRY NASSAR : SIMONE BILES
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| Simone Biles |
Four-time Olympic
gold medalist Simone Biles said on Monday she was sexually abused by former USA
Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar, the latest in a list of female athletes
to accuse the doctor of misconduct.
The 20-year-old
American, who was a key member of the US team that won gold at the 2016 Rio
Olympics, joins a number of top-level gymnasts who have accused Nassar of
abuse, including Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
Feelings... 💠#MeToo pic.twitter.com/ICiu0FCa0n— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) January 15, 2018
‘Please believe me
when I say it was a lot harder to first speak those words out loud than it is
now to put them on paper. There are many reasons that I have been reluctant to
share my story, but I know now it is not my fault.’
Nassar's attorney,
Matt Newburg, said he had no comment on the latest allegations.
Nassar was sentenced
last month to 60 years in prison on federal child pornography charges and is
set to be sentenced this week in Michigan after pleading guilty to additional
counts of criminal sexual conduct related to allegations he assaulted girls
under the guise of medical treatment.
‘It is not normal to
receive any type of treatment from a trusted team physician and refer to it
horrifyingly as the 'special' treatment,’ Biles wrote.
‘This behaviour is
completely unacceptable, disgusting, and abusive, especially coming from
someone whom I was TOLD to trust.’
Biles, who won a
record three successive world all around titles before winning four gold medals
at the 2016 Rio Olympics, said the alleged incidents left her broken and the
more she tried to ‘shut off the voice in my head the louder it screams.’
She has been an
elite gymnast since 2011 and after taking a break to enjoy life away from the
gym, she is now training and planning to make her return at the US Classic in
late July with the goal of competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
NEWS SOURCE : REUTERS
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