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:
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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)
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