BROOKLINE, Mass. — Eight-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Jenny Thompson says would-be robbers punched her in the face in a failed bid to steal her scooter outside Boston.
The Dover, N.H., native told WBZ-TV on Wednesday that she was riding in Brookline on Monday night when a vehicle stopped behind her with its headlights out. She says two people got out, punched her, pushed her down and tried to grab her ride.
Thompson held onto the scooter and screamed for help, forcing the assailants to flee. The 37-year-old suffered a cut on her nose and several scrapes and was treated at the scene.
Police say three teenagers were arrested.
Thompson is one of the most successful American Olympians, with 12 medals overall. Her most recent medals came in the 2004 Athens Games.