Ben Johnson Pleads Guilty to Assault Charge

Ben Johnson pleaded guilty Monday to assaulting former teammate Cheryl Thibedeau last year.

Thibedeau said Johnson pushed her and grabbed her throat because he was angry over comments she made to reporters after he tested positive for steroids and was stripped of his gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Johnson received a conditional discharge, was placed on 16 months’ probation and ordered to perform 75 hours of community service work.

He was charged last December, after Thibedeau told police he assaulted her at the track and field center at York University.

Thibedeau said she suffered an asthma attack, a swollen throat and whiplash as a result of the attack.

She said Monday she is satisfied with the sentence.

“I didn’t want to see Ben go to jail or anything like that,” she said.

“I thought he should know you can’t get away with that. . . . You can’t go throwing people around by the throat and expect nothing to happen because you’re Ben Johnson.”