MONTREAL - A two-time Olympic weightlifting coach has been arrested and charged with molesting a young athlete and maintaining an online relationship with the girl.

Pierre Bergeron Jr., 43, is accused on four counts, including sexual touching of a minor. The acts allegedly took place between May 2008 and May 2011.

Bergeron is the former trainer and ex-husband of former Olympic lifter Maryse Turcotte, who competed in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004. He was arrested at his home in Candiac, south of Montreal, on Friday evening.

Bergeron appeared in court on Monday and was released on bail pending his next court appearance.

He's been a national team coach for 11 consecutive world championships. He was also on the sidelines last year at the Commonwealth Games as well as the 1999 and 2003 Pan American Games.

The news dropped like a bomb in the world of weightlifting.

"This is very unfortunate," said Augustin Brassard, technical director at the Quebec Weightlifting Federation. "We make every effort to avoid such situations by a code of ethics and we have notified our members," he added.

Bergeron has resigned from his position at a weightlifting club near Montreal as well as the provincial federation.