Warning: This post contains subject matter some people may find distressing.
At just 23 years old, Aly Raisman already has three Olympic gold medals to her name.
The US Gymnast has also competed on Dancing With The Stars, and in the US – and internationally – is a household name.
But she’s also endured horrors and is one of the more than 250 people who have come forward about their abuse by Team USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, delivering a powerful victim impact statement at his trial.
Last month, he was sentenced to several life sentences for his crimes including sexual conduct with minors and possession of child pornography.
In her first Australian interview with Mamamia’s No Filter podcast, the 23 year old said that for a long time, she didn’t even realise what was happening was wrong.
Listen: Aly Raisman details the abuse she suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar. Post continues after audio.
“He [Nassar] would close his eyes when he would work on me. And me being a young kid, I just thought he was closing his eyes and out of breath because he was tired, because we were somewhere international or he had been working on a lot of us, but obviously it wasn’t the case,” she told Mia Freedman.
Top Comments
It seems that it’s ‘one word against another’ unless multiple victims come forward. I hope there’s more education on how unlikely it is that someone would come forward with a false allegation, and how much grooming perpetrators do to ensure they are seen as powerful and credible so that their victims aren’t believed.
‘One word against another’ sounds like it could be a 50:50 chance of either person telling the truth, but that’s entirely inaccurate.
This is a really interesting insight as to what the victims can feel and parents can do to help their children. How do we find the balance between educating our children but not scaring them or telling them too much too young? It's a tough one.