"If I had a daughter right now, I wouldn’t put her in it"- When Shawn Johnson opened up on avoiding gymnastics due to prevalent abuse in the system

Shawn Johnson opened up about the unfortunate series of events when several women gymnasts became victims of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Dr Larry Nassar's sexual abuse. Johnson also shared that she wouldn't put her daughter in an organization she didn't trust anymore.

Shawn Johnson impressed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she won a gold in the balance beam and three silvers in the team, all-around, and floor competitions.

Johnson has been a part of USA Gymnastics since a young age but was quiet about her experiences as a sexual abuse victim of Larry Nassar, the former team doctor of USA Gymnastics. In 2016, Nassar was declared guilty of sexually abusing around 265 women and girls, most of them from the US national women's gymnastics team.

In 2017, he was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment for 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Shawn Johnson finally opened up in 2018 and extended supportive words for fellow gymnasts who voiced their miseries and became 'heroes' in her eyes, as recorded in a YouTube video she posted in 2018.

In the video, she talked about dismissing the thought of putting her future daughter in USA Gymnastics since her relationship with the national team was not based on trust anymore.

“I think gymnastics is the best sport in the entire world, but if I had a daughter right now, I wouldn’t put her in it, and it makes me really sad. Because I can’t even trust USA Gymnastics," said she. (via YouTube)

She also shared that the other women gymnasts on the team agreed on the same. All of them were heartbroken to see the organization they have been a part of, fail them.

"I’ve talked to other athletes and gymnasts who are part of USA Gymnastics who have daughters, and it’s just like... the organization I have trusted my entire life has failed miserably, and I don’t know how to fix it, except for starting over," she added. (via YouTube)

Shawn Johnson: "You need to change the system completely"

Aly Raisman was one of the US gymnasts who read impact statements at Nassar's sentencing and brought her sexual abuse experience to public attention. That struck a chord with Johnson since she grew up with her as part of USA Gymnastics.

"To see the videos of Aly [Raisman] and Jordyn [Wieber], these girls that I grew up with and love so much, have to face this man, a man that has violated them in the worst way possible, is just disgusting...," said Johnson. (via ET Online)

Apart from her Olympic triumph, the former gymnast also three golds at the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart. This included the team event, the all-around event and the floor exercise competition.

Shawn Johnson retired from gymnastics in 2012 due to persistent issues with her left knee that eventually prevented her from competing at the London Olympics that year.