Mckayla Maroney, who was part of the 2012 gold winning Olympic team, has taken part in the MeToo campaign where women share their sexual a...
Maroney spoke out about being sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar who served as the USAG team doctor for a long period of time.
The Olympic champion wrote that the assault started at the age of 13 at one of her first National Team training camps in Texas and that it only ended when she left the sport for good.
"It didn't end until I left the sport," Maroney wrote. "It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was ‘treated'."
She said that it happened before London's team competition where she won gold and before the vault final where she won silver.
The former gymnast recalled the scariest night of her life which happened on her way to Tokyo along with her team to compete at the 2011 World championships when she was just 15 years old.
She said that the disgraced doctor gave her sleeping pills and next thing she knows she was alone with him in his hotel room getting a "treatment".
"I thought I was going to die."
Maroney stressed that wherever there is a position of power, there seems to be potential for abuse and that people should know that these things don't just happen in Hollywood.
"I had a dream to go to the Olympics, and the thing I had to endure to get there, were unnecessary and disgusting," she said.
Maroney offered suggestion that might help protect vulnerable people from getting assaulted. One of which is having zero tolerance for abusers and those who protect them.
Nassar is currently being prosecuted for allegedly sexually assaulting over 100 of women while serving as a doctor in US Gymnastics and Michigan State University over the course of many years.
Last week, former Olympic all around champion Mary Lou Retton was outed for trying to stop the sex abuse bill which aims at protecting children and young athletes from sexual assaults.
Maroney turned senior in 2011 where she won gold with the team and on vault at the World championships. Her last competition was at the 2013 World championships where she successfully defended her World vault title.
She officially retired in 2016.
Maroney previously spoke out about the emotional abuse she has gone through done by her coaches. In early 2015, she revealed that she was battling depression.
Yesterday, former Soviet gymnast and the 1992 Olympic all around champion Tatiana Gustu alleged that legendary Soviet gymnast Vitaly Scherbo raped her during DTB cup which was held in Germany in 1991.
Written by Gigi Farid
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