Bridget Namiotka was an American pair skater who won gold on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and placed fourth at two World Junior Championships
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’s Obituary
Bridget Namiotka, a former figure skater, passed away at the age of 32. She was the first one to publicly accuse the late John Coughlin of sexual assault
Bridget succumbed to her long fights with addiction after several difficult years of coping with the trauma of sexual assault. We are devastated as she was a beautiful child and a wonderful athlete. We hope Bridget’s passing will increase awareness of the dreadful consequences of sexual abuse and addiction in our society
From 2004 to 2007, Namiotka and Coughlin collaborated while she was between the ages of 14 and 17 and he was between the ages of 18 and 21. They placed seventh in the senior (Olympic) division at the 2007 U.S. national championships while winning three medals in the Junior Grand Prix series