Kayla Harrison uses Olympic stage to takedown sexual abuse

American Kayla Harrison is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, but her story is not just one of victory, but one of survival.

Harrison was the first man or woman from the United States to win a Gold Medal in Judo at the 2012 Olympics in London, and she cemented her legacy as one of the best judoka ever with another Gold Medal win in Rio.

But a second gold medal isn't the only thing she will be adding to her resume. The 26-year-old is co-authoring her first book.

The story She was sexually abused by her first coach for 3 years, starting when she was just 13-years-old.

Photos of Kayla Harrison through her career

At the age of 16, Harrison moved from Ohio to Massachusetts to live with other athletes and train with Jimmy Pedro and his father, Jim Pedro Sr. Harrison is open about her struggle with depression, saying she tried to run away several times and contemplated suicide.

"You wouldn't see a two-time Olympic champion. You wouldn't see a Kayla Harrison that can look you in the face if it weren't for the Pedros because when I came to them I was broken," Harrison told NBC Sports in Rio. "And they built me back up and they made me believe in myself when I didn't."

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She credits the Pedros for getting her a psychologist and for helping her come to terms with what happened and how it does not define her.

"They are just truly good people, amazing people. I owe them my life. I owe them my career and for me it's an honor to be able to carry on their legacy and do this every day with them."

Harrison started her Fearless Foundation after the London Olympics because she found that there was no major worldwide organization for survivors of sexual abuse.

"The first step for me is to educate," she told NBC. "So it's something that people don't want to talk about. It's something that they don't want to talk about, they don't want to hear about, they don't want to think about. But 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18, and those are just the kids that say something."

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"So I'm writing a book with a psychologist, and my goal is really for it to be in the 7th grade health class curriculum. I want every child in America to read about what grooming looks like. My story will be a guideline."

Harrison said she hopes her book will be used to educate intermediate school students about the warning signs and safe people and places they can go to for help.