Former Olympic weightlifting champion Sa Jae-hyouk received a 10-year suspension from the sport's national federation on Monday over assault charges.

The Korea Weightlifting Federation handed down the penalty a day after Sa was questioned by police in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, over allegations that he'd punched fellow weightlifter, Hwang Woo-man, in the face on New Year's Eve.

The suspension effectively spells the end of a roller-coaster career for Sa, who turns 31 later this month. He was the gold medalist in the men's 77kg class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He suffered a dislocated elbow in his title defense in London in 2012, but he was back by the following year. Though he hasn't been nearly as effective after moving up a weight class in 2014, Sa has remained one of the biggest names in South Korean weightlifting and was seeking a chance at redemption at this year's Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Earlier Monday, Chuncheon police said they had interrogated Sa for about two hours Sunday evening over assault allegations.

Hwang, 21, has been hospitalized with an injury to his cheekbone. He has alleged that Sa hit him during their night out together at a Chuncheon bar around 11 p.m. on Dec. 31, and that he will require up to six weeks to heal.

According to police, Sa testified that he met Hwang to clear up some misunderstanding over an incident last February, in which Sa slapped the younger lifter in the face, and that he became outraged while talking with Hwang and "accidentally" hit him.

In response to Sa's claims, Hwang said Sa didn't show any intention to clear the air between them. According to Hwang, Sa was angry that Hwang had been telling others about their February incident and told the younger lifter that he was being ungrateful for what senior teammates had done for him.

Hwang also said others present at the bar on New Year's Eve invited him without Sa's knowledge.

Sa visited Hwang in the hospital each of the past three days to apologize, but Hwang and his family have questioned Sa's sincerity and have not agreed to settle with him.

The Chuncheon police will further question Sa to decide whether they will file for a warrant to arrest him.

Hwang also appears unlikely to compete in Rio as he will miss substantial training time with his injury. He won the silver medal at the 2014 junior world championships in the men's over-105kg division, the heaviest class. The prospect appeared to have stalled in 2015, and the national team officials have said he remains a work in progress who could reach his prime by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

An official at the KWF said it had initially planned to finalize the national team this week and open a training camp next Monday, but Sa's assault case has forced the federation to postpone its training schedule. (Yonhap)