After Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman came forward with sexual assault allegations against disgraced USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar — who will likely spend the rest of his life in prison — her Olympic brothers and sisters proudly stood behind her. Now, in an exclusive interview with Life & Style, Apolo Ohno is praising her decision to speak up.

"I'm proud of Aly. I'm proud of the entire gymnastics team. I can only imagine how painful and difficult it was, but she's strong," the retired speed skater, who's partnered with Hershey's Gold, explained. "She represents strength, purification, and all the things we look to [see] in our athletes. I'm proud and I'm honored to be called an Olympic brother to her and she and the team have my full support. I know this is a pretty painful time for all of those athletes, and I can't imagine how difficult it was to openly discuss these things. I send them my hugs and my love and support. What they're doing is incredible."

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Thank you. I appreciate you all so much.

A post shared by Alexandra Raisman (@alyraisman) on

Larry was sentenced to between 40 and 125 years in prison for sexually abusing more than 265 women. He said in a statement (via CNN), "The words expressed by everyone that has spoken, including the parents, have impacted me to the — to my innermost core. With that being said, I understand and acknowledge that it pales in comparison to the pain, trauma and emotions that you all are feeling. It's impossible to convey the depth and breadth of how sorry I am to each and every one involved. The visions of your testimonies will forever be present in my thoughts."

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