Kayla Harrison says she almost quit judo because of sexual abuse by a coach. Instead, she’s now the first American to win Olympic gold in the sport.
Harrison, 22, won the women’s under-78-kilogram division in London on Thursday, beating the United Kingdom’s Gemma Gibbons in the finals of a 21-woman tournament.
Harrison, a Middletown, Ohio, native training in Massachusetts, became the United States’ only Olympic champion in the sport – woman or man. Ranked No. 4 in the world, she had upset top-ranked Brazilian Mayra Aguiar in the semifinals.
She started judo at roughly age 7. But to get to this point, she has said, she needed to overcome sexual abuse – starting at age 13 – by the person who was then coaching her.
“When I was 16, I told a close friend of mine, who immediately told my mother, and she immediately went to the police and pressed charges. The FBI got involved, and he’s actually serving 10 years … in prison,” Harrison told CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield on July 9, weeks before the Olympics began.
“Every day was a lie. Inside, I was in constant turmoil, but on the outside I was supposed to be this golden girl and so happy,” Harrison said.
Harrison said she almost dropped judo because of the abuse. She said that it was not only “hard to deal with to be normal, but also to compete in the sport.”
But she decided to stick with judo, going on to win gold at the 2008 Junior World Championships and the 2010 World Championships.
“You get to the point where you decide that you don’t want to be a victim anymore and that you’re not going to live your life like that,” she said.
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Im happy for you thanks be to Godjehova
I am so happy this young woman decided not to be a victim. Her spirit was abke to rise above the shame and guilt victims feel to set her own course and she is sailing into the sunset with a Gold Medal. You go girl...
What is a "victims" decisions...Sulking ?
...be strong we all have hit rock bottom once or twice !
Congratulations! So glad you stuck around.
Every winner and for that matter, every person that reaches the Olympics, has a compelling story to tell. Each story ultimately describes how their win was a struggle won, which usually begins with resolving a negative and then how their decision to 'do it' takes over. Each one of these individuals grows with their journey and when someone else is attempting to down grade anothers' experience or feelings which have been experienced, says that that person is STILL going through their struggle to get where they Wish and Wanted to be. Life is a struggle and the Olympic for some is a Right of Passage for one stage of their life so as to get on with life, to get to another. I commend this young lady for her determination and mind set! Incase, you didn't know, this is the way we all GROW!
Why spin this story to show her as a victim in the headline instead of what she earned on her own merit? This headline Sucks!!!!!
It's called coming from adversity son...the mental and physical toll on her must have been extremely difficult to overcome. Try some decaf, go shoot your AK and go to bed.
I have to agree. She is awesome even without the background story.
Brilliant, Joseph; simply brilliant.
There's no "spin." She WAS a victim and DID triumph.
Because it's the much more poignant a story that she was a victim, overcame it, and became a champion. She should commended even more for it.
Although I agree that winning the gold medal in any sport in the Olympics is The Pinnacle of Achievement, I must say that her story of survival and courage will truly help and inspire and give strength to people that are right now being abused by someone. She truly is a warrior to be admired.
I saw the interview with Dan Patrick after she won. She's the real deal. She's not a scripted personality. She still hurts about things but there couldn't be a better story than how she emerged from her trauma.
Now I hope she takes up MMA and fights Rhonda Rousey, the loud mouth chick that bashes everyone and thinks she is god. Rhonda, she just did something you didn't, she won gold...watch out!
CNN , Please stop focusing on failures that make one stronger, (abuse victim wins first U.S Judo Gold) your link ) to this article. The Olympics is "the best of the best" not where have your downtrodden souls come from !... Bless Kayla
What failure are you referring to ? She didn't fail anywhere. Not when she was 13, not when she was 16, and certainly not now. Congratulations to her. I don't see where this is about failure at all.
Rubbish you are a coward. People like yourself say the cruelist things because noone can see you. Stop judging you dont no one way or the other. If any of you dont have anything productive to say. Say nothing at all.
Kayla decided to no longer be a victim, she became a survivor. An Olympic Gold Champion as well! All the best Kayla.
GOD BLESS YOU!! And your mother for having the courage to go after that sick man , he had better hope that god takes mercy on his soul he will need it . YOU ARE AN INCREDIBLE YOUNG LADY AND THANK YOU FOR NOT QUITTING AND BRINGING HOME SOME HONOr!!!!!
“You get to the point where you decide that you don’t want to be a victim anymore and that you’re not going to live your life like that,”
Amen to that! Congratulations Kayla, you have won in so many ways.
More negative smack talk about bigger women in Judo.....
Judo is the martial art of takedowns and it relies on the 'they push, you pull: They pull, you push' principle. Having extra mass (I.E. a larger frame and/or more weight) is a great advantage as it makes you harder to be manipulated by your opponent.
Congratulations!!!
She's an Olympian, and you're not. Deal.
This Female Rocks Sad what happened to her but she overcame this and Look at her. Beautiful sportsmanship and thank you she found her way out so she would not be the victim. Hail to this young lady and congratulations on your Win.
amen – cheers to her – great job