Former figure skater Bridget Namiotka has died aged 32 after coming forward as a victim of sexual abuse

Bridget Namiotka, a former figure skater with national and international medals who became the first person to publicly accuse the late two-time US doubles champion John Coughlin of sexual abuse, died July 25, her parents confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Friday. she was 32

“Bridget succumbed to her long battles with addiction after several very difficult years of coping with the trauma of sexual abuse,” her parents, Steve and Maureen Namiotka, said in an interview. “She was a beautiful child and a wonderful athlete and we are heartbroken. We hope Bridget’s death draws new attention to the horrifying effects of sexual abuse and addiction in our society.”

On May 19, 2019, Namiotka revealed in a Facebook post that she was sexually abused by Coughlin, her couple’s partner, for two years as a teenager.

In response to a post in support of Coughlin, who died by suicide on January 18, 2019 at the age of 33, Namiotka wrote: “I’m sorry but John (sic) injured at least 10 people including me. He sexually abused me for two years.”

Namiotka worked with Coughlin from 2004 to 2007, when she was 14–17 and he was 18–21. They won three medals in the junior grand prix series and finished ninth in the senior (Olympic) series at the 2007 US national championships.

Namiotka added more Facebook posts almost immediately after the first one, including: “Grooming happening. It happened to me and he hurt a lot of girls. Think of the victims.”

Coughlin, who won his two US doubles championships with two other partners, hanged himself at his father’s home in Kansas City a day after receiving a temporary suspension from the US Center for SafeSport. USA TODAY Sports reported in January 2019, citing a person with knowledge of the situation, that there were three reports of sexual misconduct against Coughlin. His death effectively ended the investigation into those reports, SafeSport announced in February 2019.

The story goes on

Less than three months after Namiotka’s Facebook posts, on August 1, 2019, Olympic figure skater Ashley Wagner, the 2016 world silver medalist and the most successful US figure skater of her era, told USA TODAY Sports that Coughlin killed her in June 2008 after a sexual Party at a national team camp in Colorado when she had just turned 17 and Coughlin was 22.

Wagner, a three-time national champion who won a team bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics, said Coughlin climbed into her bed as she slept in the house where the party was held and began kissing and groping her. “I was paralyzed with fear,” she said.

Attorney John Manly, who has represented more than 200 victims in the gymnastics sexual abuse case of Larry Nassar, said in a March 2019 interview with USA TODAY Sports that he was representing two other women who were underage when Coughlin allegedly sexually assaulted them abused.

“My clients and I want to make this clear: John Coughlin used his position of trust, power and notoriety in figure skating to sexually assault multiple minors,” Manly said.

In a January 7, 2019 email to USA TODAY Sports, Coughlin called the allegations against him “baseless.”

“While I wish I could speak freely about the baseless allegations made against me, the SafeSport Rules prevent me from doing so as the case is pending,” he wrote. “I only note that the SafeSport allegation notice itself stated that an allegation in no way constituted a finding by SafeSport or that the allegation was substantiated.”

Coughlin’s claim that he was prevented by SafeSport from speaking freely about the allegations against him “is not true,” SafeSport spokesman Dan Hill said in March 2019.

“The SafeSport Code and the interim action procedure communicated directly to it, which can be found on our website, makes it clear that it could provide information and evidence, speak for itself and even request a hearing that would have been accommodated in 72 hours after rule,” Hill said. “This hearing would have taken place before an independent arbitrator. It’s such a crucial part of all of this.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former US figure skater Bridget Namiotka has died aged 32