From the track to the prison: The disturbing downfall of Marion Jones

Her share of controversies
Track and field star
PED's
The journey
Growing up
International as a young age
Success with basketball
National champ with UNC
World Championship success
2000 Olympic Games
The medals
BALCO investigation
Denied allegations
Guilty of lying
Stripping of her titles
Losing her Olympic medals
'I have let my country down'
Sentencing
Prison
Joining the WNBA
A short stint
What is she doing now
Her share of controversies

Marion Jones was once one of the best athletes in the world, but she also had her share of controversies.

Track and field star

In her prime, Jones was one of the biggest track and field stars in the world. She claimed three gold medals at the 2000 Olympic Games and was also a professional basketballer.

PED's

Her career was full of controversy and investigations due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, leading to all of her Olympic medals being stripped.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

The journey

Let's look back through her turbulent journey as a multi-sport athlete.

Growing up

Born October 12, 1975, in Los Angeles, California, Jones was a prominent track and field athlete at an early age, subsequently meaning her family moved so she could compete on the best high school teams.

International as a young age

By the time she was 12, Jones competed internationally in track, winning a silver medal in the 4X100 meters at the 1992 World Junior Championships in South Korea.

Success with basketball

Despite her success in athletics, Jones was also awarded California's Division One Player of the Year in 1993. She joined the University of North Carolina on a full basketball scholarship.

National champ with UNC

According to GoHeels, Marion Jones had a stellar basketball career with UNC, averaging 16.8 points across her three seasons and winning the national title in 1994.

World Championship success

After graduating from UNC in 1997, Jones was focused on track, winning two gold medals at the 1997 World Championships in the 100m sprint and the 4x100m, and winning gold in the 100m sprint at the 1999 World Championships.

 

2000 Olympic Games

Marion Jones was the 'Golden Child' of American athletics, becoming the first female athlete in athletics to win five medals at the Olympic Games in 2000, according to ng.opera.news.

The medals

She won gold medals in the 100m sprint, 200m sprint, and as a member of the 4x400m team. She also won bronze in the long jump and 4x100m relay.

BALCO investigation

Throughout much of her career, Jones was suspected of taking performance-enhancing drugs. In 2003, a federal investigation by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative led to allegations against Jones by BALCO founder Victor Conte and her ex-husband CJ Hunter.

Denied allegations

The allegations against her were that she was taking banned substances before and during the 2000 Olympic Games. She had never failed a drug test up to that point in her career, denying the allegations.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Guilty of lying

In 2006, Jones tested positive for a banned substance but was later cleared after a follow-up test. A year later, she was found guilty of lying to federal investigations about her steroid use.

Stripping of her titles

After admitting she had taken steroids to enhance her performance in 2000, the International Association of Athletics Federation officially disqualified all of her results after September 2000.

Losing her Olympic medals

A month later, in December 2007, the International Olympic Committee stripped Jones of the five Olympic medals she won at the Sydney Olympics.

'I have let my country down'

According to the New York Times, Jones said, "And so it is with a great amount of shame, that I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust. I have let them down. I have let my country down. And I have let myself down."

Sentencing

In January 2008, Jones was officially sentenced to six months in prison for lying to federal investigators about her steroid use and her involvement in a check-fraud scheme.

Prison

Jones began her sentence on March 7, 2008, at Carswell Prison in Fort Worth and was released on September 5, 2008.

Joining the WNBA

Following her release from prison, Jones tried to reignite her basketball career in 2010, joining the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA.

A short stint

According to Basketball-Reference, in a 47-game WNBA career, Jones averaged 2.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.

What is she doing now

Jones now lives in Texas, where she runs her own business and is a personal trainer with Camp Gladiator, a workout program in Austin, according to SportsCasting.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

More for you