and 20.03 sec., respectively, running the latter into a heavy headwind. My husband has been incredible through all of this. behind Greene (9.87 sec.) The IOC action also officially disqualified Jones from her fifth-place finish in the Long Jump at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Hes been there the past five years. I know how hard it's been to carry it around. I pray that you will be as merciful as a human being can be, she said. It is an unexpected turn in the career of the Los Angeles, Calif., native, who has been a track and field star since high school in the early 1990s. I could make it back to basketball shape but there are more important things in life.". Jones lost her spot on the 1996 Olympic team because of an injury. On December 12, 2007, the IOC formally stripped Jones of all five Olympic medals dating back to September 2000, and banned her from attending the 2008 Summer Olympics in any capacity. In 1996, he ran the then-fastest 100 m recorded under all conditions (a windy 9.69 sec.). Montgomery fought the ban but lost the appeal on December 13, 2005, receiving a two-year ban from track and field competition; the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS) also stripped Montgomery of all race results, records and medals, from March 31, 2001, onward. An asthmatic since three years old, Thompson participated in the 2001 World Asthma Day and filmed a television commercial based on his experience as a lifelong asthmatic. She was Track and Field News High School Athlete of the Year in 1991 and 1992. Are there still a lot of haters out there? Most people want to bring up the past so we're always naturally cautious. (+2.1m/s wind). It would be wonderful if my reality was that I would travel and talk solely about my incredible accomplishments. Her ex-husband Hunter, an Olympic shot-putter and confessed steroid user, testified under oath that he had seen her inject drugs into her stomach in the Olympic Village in Sydney. Graham then distributed the performance enhancers to Jones and other Sprint Capitol athletes. Tilting the Level Playing Field? Marion Jones, a record-breaking Olympic track star who admitted in 2007 to using performance-enhancing drugs and served time in prison for making false statements to investigators, is featured on the Nov. 19 episode of the TV One network's "Life After" show. Marion Jones crosses the finish line to win the gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 23, 2000. If he's dealing with a heavy burden, I'll pray for him. Disgraced former track star Marion Jones - Getty Images She was released on her own recognizance but was required to surrender both her US and Belizean passports, pending sentencing in January. According to the indictment and subsequent documents filed with the court, the link to Jones was made through one of Riddicks business partners, Nathaniel Alexander. It's a lot easier to talk and deal with young people instead of speaking in front of corporations, churches and grown-ups. The U.S. Olympic Team once dubbed Marion Jones "the world's fastest mom," but she could not run fast enough to escape the doping charges that have plagued her since she won five medals at the 2000 Olympics. Marion toldESPNin 2012: My husband has been incredible through all of this. He became only the sixth person since 1969 to win this double. In 1966, as a postgraduate student at the University of London, he won the 100 m at British Universities Championships,[36] earned the Arthur Wint Award for the most significant performance at the London University's Athletic Championships, and was awarded the prestigious University of London's "Purple"[37] for his sporting excellence. Marion Jones is currently married to Obadele Thompson. We always have a little apprehension anytime anyone approaches me wanting to talk about my life and my history. On 5 September, he placed second in a photo finish to Fredericks in the 100 m Grand Prix Final in Moscow, Russia. The questions are direct. I get that. "It's been a long process dealing with the backlash from his whole situation. Hunter, had withdrawn from the shot-put competition for a knee injury, though he was allowed to keep his coaching credentials and attend the games to support his wife. Jones admitted she used steroids before the games in a recent letter to family and friends, The Washington Post reported Thursday. In February 2020, Mario Jones talked to students at Delco Elementary School as the main speaker of the schools Black History Month program. In 1996, he became a member of Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) honor society, the highest recognition business students worldwide can receive from an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited business program. However, the United States Anti-Doping Agency later stripped her of her medals after she admitted to using steroids. BALCO founder Victor Conte maintained he had seen Jones inject herself with steroids, as did her ex-husband. Robert Siegel interviewed Marion Jones on All Things Considered in 1995. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Kevin Frayer/AP/The Canadian Press In 2010, Jones released a book, On the Right Track: From Olympic Downfall to Finding Forgiveness and the Strength to Overcome and Succeed, published by Simon & Schuster. established a new Barbados national record, and placed him ahead of Mike Marsh (the defending Olympic 200 m champion) and Jeff Williams (1995 World Championship 200 m bronze medalist). Peoples questions affected her and prevented her from making progress. Obadele Thompson - Wikipedia On February 24, 2007, Jones married Barbadian sprinter and 2000 Olympic 100m bronze medalist Obadele Thompson. But I talk about my mistakes. She holds dual citizenship with the US and Belize. Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for lying about using steroids during her athletic career and a check-fraud scam. ". The evidence included doping calendars and testimony from a doctor that indicated Jones had used the blood-boosting drug EPO and human growth hormone. WHITE PLAINS The former track star Marion Joness tearful courtroom plea to avoid jail was denied Friday by a federal judge who said her sentence should serve as a deterrent for others who may lie to federal agents, and Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for pleading guilty to two counts of perjury. He's been there the past five years. In May, he defeated the 1996 Olympic 100 m champion and world record holder, Donovan Bailey, in the 100 m in Tempe, Arizona. But Jones passed another milestone three years later. The offenses here are serious. Jones, who turns 32 next week, is married to Olympic sprinter Obadele Thompson of Barbados. Jones admitted she used steroids before the games in a recent letter to family and friends, The Washington Post reported Thursday. EXCLUSIVE: Ex Olympic Track Star Marion Jones Sued - theJasmineBRAND [1] He has held the indoor 55 metres world record (5.99 sec.) With her guilty plea, she forfeited her Fifth Amendment right not to testify. His record-setting 100 m run earned him the Austin Sealy Award for Most Outstanding Performance of the championships. Jones would later write in her autolife story, Marion Jones: Life in the Fast Lane, that Hunters positive drug tests hurt their marriage and her image as a drug-free athlete. Track & Field News ranked him #6 in the world in the 100 m.[26], In March, Thompson won the silver medal in the 200 m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Maebashi, Japan. In the course of investigative research, San Francisco based reporters Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada reported Jones had received banned drugs from BALCO, citing documentary evidence and testimony from Joness ex-husband C.J. I haven't heard them called that in awhile. Jones, who turns 32 next week, is married to Olympic sprinter Obadele Thompson of Barbados. There was a time right after it happened that I did. A police officer in Wilsons Mills, a small town near Raleigh, on Wednesday confirmed the wedding took place but referred enquiries to the towns police chief, who was unavailable. Seven years after winning a womens record five Olympic track and field medals and receiving multimillion-dollar endorsement deals, Jones was broke. But Karas said those consequences had followed from Joness decision to break the rules of international competition, not the law, and would not affect his sentence. 20 jersey, honored by the school, hangs in Carmichael Auditorium. Sprinters Jones and Thompson married, says minister | Reuters Marion Jones remains relatively quiet when it comes to sharing her personal life and makes it a point to stay out of the public eye. Marion Jones Admits Using Steroids : NPR May 2006 saw Jones run 11.06 at altitude but into a headwind in her season debut and beat Veronica Campbell and Lauryn Williams in subsequent 100m events. That would be a pretty big bag to hold all of us who made poor choices. Her husband is Obadele Thompson (m. 2007), C. J. It's Nothing New, Track Star Marion Jones to Admit Steroid Use, Track Olympian Reportedly Admits to Steroid Use, Track Coach Charged with Obstruction in Balco Case, Secondary Doping Tests Clear Marion Jones' Name, Sports Doping Scandal Threatens Reputations, BALCO Head Confirms Doping, Ties M. Jones to Steroid Use, Doping Scandals, Security and U.S. Summer Olympic Teams, Doping Scandal Clouds Marion Jones' Olympic Bid. Montgomery later announced his retirement. That's why I was honored they included me in their show. . 'It was hell': Marion Jones details jail horror in new memoir Prosecutors alleged that funds were sent to Jones track coach, 1976 Olympic gold medalist Steve Riddick, in Virginia, then funneled back to New York through a network of friends, relatives and associates. Riddick was arrested in February on money-laundering charges. ", "I've met him a couple of times. After a stellar high school career, Marion Jones went to the 2000 Summer Olympics, where she won three gold medals and two bronze medals. Vibert Tyrrel, pastor of the Union Hill African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilsons Mills, told Reuters in a telephone interview from his home in New Bern, North Carolina. She was successfully defended by attorney Johnnie Cochran on charges of doping during her high school track career. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Jones, 31, has been under investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in connection with the BALCO doping scandal, but has denied using performance-enhancing drugs.