Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has hinted that the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of doctor Larry Nassar is behind her mental health problems that prompted her to pull out from individual all-around final.
Biles shared a tweet from a fellow gymnast who slammed critics while reminding people that the 24-year-old was ‘molested by her team doctor throughout her entire childhood.’
Written by former gymnast-turned-fitness trainer Andrea Orris, the statement read: “We are talking about the same girl who was molested by her team doctor throughout her entire childhood and teenage years.”
“That girl has endured more trauma by the age of 24 than most people will ever go through in a lifetime,” it continued.
Even though Biles did not issue her own statement about her decision to withdraw from the all-around or about Nassar, a US official told Daily Mail that Orris’ tweet “sums up everything Simone is feeling and wants to say.”
“The fact that Simone has retweeted it, shows that she agrees with every word that’s been said on her behalf,” the source added.
Biles is one of over 150 gymnasts who were abused by Nassar, the former national team doctor.
It was in 2019 when she revealed that the abuse she endured had left her struggling with suicidal thoughts. She said at that time that she was “sleeping all the time” as it was “the closest thing to death” while adding that she was undergoing therapy to deal with the trauma.
Biles has hinted that the abuse led to her decision to withdraw from the team final and the all-around final.
Her fellow Team USA gymnast Jade Carey, 21, will take her place in the all-around.
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