Bridget Namiotka, a figure skater who accused her late pairs skating partner John Coughlin of sexual abuse, died in July at the age of 32.
Bridget Namiotka : Skater | Death | cause of death
Namiotka was an American pair skater who won gold on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and placed fourth at two World Junior Championships.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Country represented | United States |
| Born | January 3, 1990 West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | July 25, 2022 (aged 32) |
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Former partner | John Coughlin, Alex Merritt, Daniel Haskins |
Namiotka was the daughter of Steve and Maureen Namiotka. She began learning to skate in 1997. Competing in partnership with Alex Merritt, she placed fifth in novice pairs at the 2003 U.S. Championships.
Bridget Namiotka skater
When Namiotka was between the ages of 14 and 17, her skating partner was John Coughlin, who was four years her senior.
Coughlin died by suicide in January 2019, while under investigation for sexual abuse, and suspended, by the United States Center for SafeSport.
In May 2019, Namiotka identified herself on Facebook as a victim of Coughlin, becoming the first skater to go public. In the same posting, Namiotka said that Coughlin had “hurt a lot of people” and “had hurt at least 10 girls”.
She teamed up with John Coughlin in late 2004. They won three medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, including gold in Croatia, and placed fourth at the 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships. They announced the end of their partnership on July 3, 2007.
Namiotka competed while managing pancreatitis. On her death in July 2022, her parents stated: “Bridget succumbed to her long struggles with addiction after several very difficult years of dealing with the trauma of sexual abuse.”
Death
Bridget Namiotka, a former national and international medal-winning pairs figure skater who was the first person to publicly accuse the late two-time U.S. national pairs champion John Coughlin of sexual abuse, died July 25. She was 32.
“Bridget succumbed to her long struggles with addiction after several very difficult years of dealing with the trauma of sexual abuse,” her parents Steve and Maureen Namiotka said in an interview. “She was a beautiful child and a wonderful athlete, and we are heartbroken. It is our hope that Bridget’s death will bring new attention to the terrible effects of sexual abuse and addiction in our society.”
On May 19, 2019, Namiotka announced in a Facebook post that she was sexually abused for two years by Coughlin, her pairs partner, when she was a teenager.
Replying to a post in support of Coughlin, who died by suicide at the age of 33 on Jan. 18, 2019, Namiotka wrote, “I’m sorry but john (sic) hurt at least 10 people including me. He sexually abused me for 2 years.”
Namiotka teamed with Coughlin from 2004 to 2007, when she was between the ages of 14 and 17 and he was 18 to 21. They won three medals on the Junior Grand Prix series and finished ninth in the senior (Olympic) level at the 2007 U.S. national championships.
Cause of death
“Bridget succumbed to her long struggles with addiction after several very difficult years of dealing with the trauma of sexual abuse,” Steve and Maureen Namiotka told USA Today. (Photo: Sergey Mironov via Getty Images)
Figure skater Bridget Namiotka has died at the age of 32.
Her parents told USA Today in an interview published Friday that their daughter, who was a national and international medal-winning skater, died in July.
The news outlet did not specify a cause of death, but Namiotka’s parents said she struggled with addiction following sexual abuse she suffered as a teen. In 2019, the figure skater publicly accused her former pairs partner John Coughlin of sexually assaulting her.
“Bridget succumbed to her long struggles with addiction after several very difficult years of dealing with the trauma of sexual abuse,” Steve and Maureen Namiotka told USA Today.
“She was a beautiful child and a wonderful athlete, and we are heartbroken. It is our hope that Bridget’s death will bring new attention to the terrible effects of sexual abuse and addiction in our society.”