PARIS: 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 on 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.

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.

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.

Paris will host the Summer Olympics from July 26 to August 11.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2024