Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney says team doctor molested her

Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney said she is a longtime victim of sexual assault at the hands of her former USA Gymnastics doctor.

Maroney identified convicted sex offender Larry Nassar as her repeat abuser in a statement inspired by the “Me too” movement, which encouraged women to say they are victims of harassment or sexual assault.

The abuse began at a Texas training camp when she was just 13 years old, Maroney said, and continued for at least seven years — when she retired from gymnast competitions.

“It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was ‘treated,’” Maroney wrote. “It happened in London before my team and I won the gold medal, and it happened before I won my Silver.”

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McKayla Maroney stands with her silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Maroney came forward as a longtime victim of sexual assault in a statement inspired by the “Me too” movement. (THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)

She said the worst of the abuse took place during the 2011 world championships in Japan, when she became a breakout star.

She said Nassar gave her a sleeping pill on the flight to Tokyo and she woke up in his hotel room, once again “getting a ‘treatment.’”

“I thought I was going to die that night,” she wrote.

Dr. Larry Nassar pleaded guilty to child porn possession in July 2017. (Robert Killips/AP)

Maroney, now 21, said her 2012 Olympic victories — a gold and silver medal — were marred by his abuse.

She remembered watching the 2004 Olympic games in Athens as an 8-year-old and said she had hopes of one day competing.

And while she fulfilled her dreams, she lamented the abuse she suffered along the way.

McKayla Maroney says she was repeatedly molested by Dr. Larry Nassar. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

“Sure, from the outside looking in, it’s an amazing story. I did it. I got there, but not without a price,” she added.

Nassar has been accused of molesting dozens of young athletes associated with USA Gymnastics and his Michigan State University clinic. He is being sued by more than 125 women claiming he sexually assaulted them under the pretense of medical treatment.

It’s unclear if Maroney is a plaintiff in the federal lawsuit against Nassar.

FBI Agent Rod Charles testified in his 2016 child porn case that Nassar targeted victims as young as six.

He would tell his victims that the sexual abuse, which often involved digital penetration, would help treat hip or back pain, according to court papers.

Nassar tried to dispose of several hard drives, which authorities found filled with tens of thousands of child porn images, according to a transcript of his arraignment.

He pleaded guilty to child porn possession in July and is awaiting trial in three criminal cases alleging that he sexually molested nine girls, including nine gymnasts seeking treatment for injuries.

He has pleaded not guilty to those accusations, and his attorney said Nassar intends to go to trial in December.