Jenny Thompson, Olympic Swimmer, Fights off Attackers
The two thugs who tried to steal Jenny Thompson’s Vespa shouldn’t have messed with an Olympic medalist. According to WBZ-TV, 37 year-old Thompson was attacked by two men in Brookline, Massachusetts Monday night – and she back.
“The first thing they did was punch me in the face, so my gut instinct was to fight,” Thompson said. ”I fought them off and was screaming at the top of my lungs and people came out of the houses. I was screaming so loud, I didn’t know I could scream so loud. I was screaming ‘Help! Help me! I’m being attacked!’ and I think that helped.”
The men ran off, leaving Thompson and the scooter behind. You go, girl! When police arrived, Thompson was treated by an ambulance crew for cuts and scrapes on her nose, knees and arms. ”I felt lucky there were people around who were willing to help and call the cops,” she said. “If I had been somewhere more isolated, I think it could have been a lot worse.”
Police later arrested three teens who were riding stolen scooters, but it’s unclear whether they were involved in the attack.
According to Wikipedia, Thompson is a Massachusetts native who has won 12 Olympic medals – the most for any female swimmer in Olympic history. After retiring from the sport, she earned a medical degree from Columbia University.
Photo: Speedo USA
