RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 16: Gold medalist Simone Biles of the United States celebrates on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Women's Floor on Day 11 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena on August 16, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Simone Biles has joined the “Me too” chorus of women who have endured sexual harassment or assault.
The 20-year-old four-time Olympic gold medalist is the fourth USA Gymnastics star to accuse former team doctor Larry Nassar of abuse.
“I too am one of the many survivors that was sexually abused by Larry Nassar,” Biles wrote in posts on Instagram and Twitter. “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 l have been reluctant to share my story, but I know now it is not my fault.”
Here is her full statement:
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.
Biles won five medals (four gold, one bronze) at the 2016 Games in Rio. She is training for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, but admits this has been “impossibly difficult.”
“It breaks my heart even more to think that as I work towards my dream of competing in Tokyo 2020, I will have to continually return to the same training facility where l was abused,” Biles wrote.
Biles ended her letter by asking for privacy during this time.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 16: Gold medalist Simone Biles of the United States celebrates on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Women’s Floor on Day 11 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Arena on August 16, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang called out his players in a postgame press…
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych will not be allowed to compete in the Winter Olympics…
Jeremy Sochan was released by the San Antonio Spurs and plans to sign with the…
BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston has been charged with felony rape by the Washington County,…
Jordan Stolz of Team USA set a new record in the 2026 Winter Olympics in…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GyHJ1wzPQ_o U.S. Olympic skier Gus Schumacher reflected on the life lessons he's gotten from his…