Olympic News : Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes felt 'high level of PTSD' watching her docuseries ‘Golden'

DOMINIQUE DAWES FELT 'HIGH LEVEL OF PTSD' WATCHING HER DOCUSERIES 'GOLDEN' Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes believes much of the public knows how grueling the sport of gymnastics can be, but she wants to give fans a peek behind the curtain with the new docuseries "Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts." "The majority of this docuseries is not the young athletes training in the gym," said Dawes. "But you also see the behind the scenes with regards to the anxiety, the fear, the intimidation. These young girls are put under the microscopes…And honestly, when I watched the first few episodes, my anxiety as an elite training athlete at one point throughout my childhood all came back. And it was a high level of PTSD." While athletes like Simone Biles are a lock to make the team, the docuseries -- from Peacock and LeBron James' "Uninterrupted" production company -- follows lesser-known gymnasts as they fight for a spot on the Olympic team. For the past few years, abuse claims have rocked USA gymnastics. But Dawes, a member of the gold-medal winning USA Gymnastics team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, is hoping that by shedding light on the dark side of the sport, things will change. "I distanced myself from the sport when I retired in 2000 after my third Olympic Games because I knew all too well the ugly side of the sport of gymnastics. And then in 2016, when everything came out with regards to Larry Nassar, the Olympic team doctor that I knew for ten years of my childhood—we all trusted him—that I felt I needed to speak out, be vocal and talk about this unhealthy culture," said Dawes. "You will, as a viewer, feel the high level of pressure, anxiety, and fear that each and every one of these girls and even their families are feeling. And that's something about the sport or gymnastics that desperately needs to change." Dawes, the first African-American to win an individual event medal with her bronze on floor in 1996, is proud of the success gymnasts like Biles, Gabby Douglas and others have made—a road that she helped pave. "They're not only being seen, but they're being heard and they're standing on top of the podium," said Dawes. "They are really embracing the strengths that they bring to the table, something that I was not allowed to do back in the sport. It was not embraced to have a certain physique. It was not embraced to maybe be loud and outspoken and to utilize your voice. We were very controlled and more robotic back then. You were told how you had to wear your hair, you were told how you had to speak, what you say. And today, I love that about this generation of young African-American athletes that they are going to be who they are, no matter if someone wants to deduct them for it." "Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts" begins streaming June 27 on Peacock.