FORMER world heptathlon champion Eunice Barber suffered minor injuries after being punched in the face by a passenger on a Paris suburban train, a police source said Tuesday.
Barber, 49, was attacked after asking “a drunken passenger” to speak less loudly on his phone during the journey from Franconville, 17km north-west of Paris, into the city.
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The Sierra Leonean-born French athlete received “two blows to the face”, resulting in a slight injury to the “right cheekbone”, the police source said.
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A 43-year-old man was arrested when the train reached its destination at the Gare du Nord station in central Paris. Barber filed a complaint with police.
Barber, a five-time world medallist, won the world heptathlon gold in Seville in 1999 and the long jump title at the 2003 world championships in Paris.
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Barber, 49, was attacked after asking “a drunken passenger” to speak less loudly on his phone during the journey from Franconville, 17km north-west of Paris, into the city.
Paris will host the Summer Olympics from July 26 to August 11.
