New York, Sept. 28, (dpa/GNA) – Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles has described her start at the Tokyo Olympics in summer as a mistake.
“If you looked at everything I’ve gone through for the past seven years, I should have never made another Olympic team,” the US athlete told the New York magazine in an interview published late on Monday.
“I should have quit way before Tokyo, when Larry Nassar was in the media for two years,” she said referring to American convicted sex offender Nassar.
The 58-year-old is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to sexually abusing women and girls in 2017 and 2018.
“But I was not going to let him take something I’ve worked for since I was 6 years old,” Biles added.
The four-time Olympic champion was among hundreds of gymnasts and their parents who filed sexual abuse lawsuits against Nassar.
Biles was considered a top candidate for several Olympic gold medals before Tokyo. However, after her withdrawal from the women’s team final, she made her mental health issues public and subsequently refrained from competing in several other events.
“My perspective has never changed so quickly from wanting to be on a podium to wanting to be able to go home, by myself, without any crutches,” she said.
The bronze medal on the balance beam was like a small triumph for her.
Recently, at Judiciary Committee hearing on the FBI’s handling of the Nassar, Biles vividly described her horrific experiences.
She complained that the US Federal Police and officials of the responsible sports federations had not followed up on her tips about the abuse for a long time.
GNA