Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Laurie Hernandez, a member of the United States' gold-medal-winning gymnastics team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, alluded to the emotional and verbal abuse she received from former coach Maggie Haney as one reason why she took an extended break from gymnastics.
Hernandez addressed the situation in an Instagram post Thursday, writing, in part:
"This was the biggest reason why my comeback was so late. I thought I hated gymnastics, and it wasn't until mid 2018 I realized that it was the people that made the experience bad, not the sport itself.