A victim makes her 'impact statement'; to Larry Nassar during a sentencing hearing as he puts his head down in front of Judge Rosemarie Aquilina in district court. Photo / AP
A victim makes her 'impact statement'; to Larry Nassar during a sentencing hearing as he puts his head down in front of Judge Rosemarie Aquilina in district court. Photo / AP
Ali Raisman reclaimed her power and eviscerated her abuser Larry Nassar as she stared down the paedophile doctor and delivered a remarkable impact statement on Friday.
The six-time Olympic medalist turned heads earlier in the day when she made a surprise appearance at the Michigan court where Nassar is beingsentenced, just before the hearing was to start.
She entered the courtroom with another surprise guest, fellow Fierce Five teammate Jordyn Wieber, who grew up in the area and was just 8 when she began working with Nassar.
Raisman shed not a single tear and showed no sign of weakness as she spoke, looking right at Nassar the entire time.
'I didn't think I would be here today,' said Raisman, who had previously announced her statement would be read in court by a member of the district attorney's office.
'I was scared and nervous. It wasn't until I listened to the other brave survivors that I realized I needed to be here.'
She did not details her abuse, and said only that Nassar's grooming began when the two were in Australia, and that she was eventually manipulated into believing that the doctor's 'inappropriate touch would heal my pain.'
Raisman knows better now she said in her statement.
Former Olympians Aly Raisman, left, and Jordyn Wieber sit in Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina's courtroom during the fourth day of sentencing for former sports doctor Larry Nassar. Photo / AP.
'You never healed me. You took advantage of our passions and our dreams,' said Raisman.
'Imagine feeling like you have no power, and no voice. Well you know what Larry, I have my power and my voice,and I will use them.'
Raisman also used her time in court to speak on behalf of all the victims in the case.
'The tables have turned, Larry. We are here. We have our voices, and we are not going anywhere, said Raisman.
'And now, Larry, it's your turn to listen to me.'
Raisman and Wieber spent the entire day in the courtroom, returning after lunch in a show of support for the other women who were sharing their stories that day.
It was Wieber who walked to the podium to start the day, revealing for the first time that she was one of the many young women who was sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar.
Wieber fought back tears as she addressed her abuser, who as he has done for the past few days hid his hands.
'I thought that training for the Olympics would be the hardest thing I would ever had to do,' said Wieber.
'But in fact, the hardest thing I ever had to do was process that I was a victim of Larry Nassar.'
'It has caused me to feel shame and confusion,' said Wieber of her abuse when she took the podium at the start of the day.
'I have spent months trying to think back on my experience and wonder how I didn't know what was happening to me and how I became so brainwashed by Larry Nassar and everyone at USA Gymnastics. Both whom I thought were supposed to be on MY side.'
Wieber, as many women have done before her this week, noted that Nassar was not the only person who should be held accountable for these horrifying acts.
'Larry Nassar is accountable. USA Gymnastics is accountable. The U.S. Olympic Committee is accountable,' said Wieber.
'My teammates and friends have been through enough and now it's time for change. The current gymnasts should not have to live in anxiety and fear as I did.'
Wieber, 22, later told the court that her abuse began when she was 14, and went on for years, stating: 'He did it time after time, appointment after appointment.'
She later noted: 'The worst part is I had no idea he was sexually abusing me.'
Wieber also said that she, Raisman and McKayla Maroney discussed the concerns they all had with Nassar's treatment, before revealing that all three kept quiet because they did not want to jeopardize their spot on the Olympic team.
'Was Larry even doing anything to help my pain? Was I getting the proper medical care? What was he thinking about when he massaged my sore muscles every day?' asked Wieber.
'Now, I question everything.'
Wieber is working to move past her abuse she said, and is refusing to let what Nassar did to her define her life.
'Even though I'm a victim, I do not and will not live my life as one,' said Wieber.
'I am an Olympian.'
Wieber then made a point of stating that her Olympic title carries no weight in this trial.
'I want everyone, especially the media, to know that despite my athletic achievements, I am one of over 140 women and survivors whose story is important,' said Wieber.
'Our pain is all the same, and our stories are all important.
Wieber was followed by Chelsea Zerfas, who is just 15, and started being abused by Nassar three years ago.
She appeared with her mother as she is a minor, and bravely delivered her tearful statement.
Zerfas said that she tore a muscle in her stomach when she was 12 and went to see Nassar, noting at one point how he told her to wear loose shorts so that he could have easier access to her body.
'It's so sickening that he did that to me,' said Zerfas.
Zerfas went on to call Nassar a 'monster,' and revealed that her love for gymnastics almost disappeared because of his abuse.
'This is all your fault, we wouldn't be here in the first place if it wasn't for you,' said the teenager.
'You are a coward and a sickening man. You did this to me. You're the one causing all this pain.'
Wieber's decision to come forward was applauded by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who for the fourth straight day continued to address each victim after they spoke in court.
She told the young woman that despite her wish to play down her fame, what she did in court on Friday would inspire countless other young girls and women.
Wieber is retired from competitive gymnastics and now coaches the team at UCLA, where one of her athletes is fellow Fierce Five member Kyla Ross.
She is now the fourth member of the five-person London squad to reveal she was assaulted by Nassar, following Maroney, Raisman and Gabby Douglas.
Maroney had her impact statement read in court on Thursday and Raisman is expected to deliver her thoughts on Nassar later in the day on Friday.
Simone Biles, a member of the 2016 Rio team, also came forward to reveal she was one of Nasar's victims earlier this week.
Maroney revealed in a lawsuit filed last month that she received $1.25 million from the organization in December 2016.
The two-time world-champion vaulter agreed to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of the deal, which imposes a $100,000 fine should she ever speak about Nassar or the abuse she suffered at the heads of the disgraced doctor.
Maroney, who was represented by Gloria Allred when she accepted that settlement, said that she was in desperate need of the money due to her deteriorating psychological state and need for treatment as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Nassar.
She said at one point she was even thought about taking her own life.
Maroney is now suing USA Gymnastics - with her legal team arguing that it was illegal for the organization to have her sign a clause demanding her silence about her molestation.
