A Soviet Olympian speaks out about being raped 26 years ago

Soviet gymnast Tatiana Gutsu has accused her former partner, Vitaliy Sherbo, of raping her in 1991, when she was 15 years old. Writing on Facebook, she called Sherbo a “monster” who kept her in her “own prison to be afraid for so many years.” Gutsu says her teammates, Tatyana Toropova and Rustam Sharipov, knew about the abuse and said nothing.

In the 1992 Summer Olympics, Gutsu took home four medals as a member of the United Team, which consisted of 12 of the 15 former Soviet republics. Gutsu has lived in the U.S. since 1993.