‘Fellow gymnast raped me at 15’

Decades of silence were broken Tuesday morning, when Tatiana Gutsu shared her story of sexual assault on Facebook.

The former Olympic gymnast, who won the all-around title at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, recalled her 15-year-old, beaten-down self in a vulnerable post accusing legendary gymnast Vitaly Scherbo of raping her in 1991 during an international competition. Gutsu, representing Ukraine, and Scherbo, Belarus, both trained under Soviet Union coaches during their youth.

“This is me being brave after 27 years,” Gutsu, now 41, began the post. “…Who rape me in Stuttgart Germany DTB 1991. [Vitaly Scherbo]. Monster who kept me in my own prison to be afraid for so many years.

“I know you will try to [defend] yourself. But my details are much stronger than your words. I’m strong now then ever. You can’t [break] me down anymore.”

Gutsu’s promising career abruptly ended after the 1992 Games, when she retired from competition and eventually moved to the United States.

Scherbo, 19 at the time, won six gold medals at Barcelona, including the male allaround competition, and went on to dominate from 1993-95 in the world championships. He also resides in the U.S., running a gymnastics school in Las Vegas.

Gutsu accused those who were bystanders to the alleged rape — Ukrainian teammates Tatyana Toropova and Rustam Sharipov — just as strongly.