Marion Jones is world champion track and field athlete, she also was basketball player. She is known to public as Marion Jones-Thompson.
Marion participated at Olympic Games 2000, in Sydney Australia. Marion was American representative and she came back home with amazing score. Marion won three gold medals and two bronze medals. This was her best result in career. Unfortunately, Marion lost all awards because she was using steroids.
Marion was one of the most popular athletes and sportiest who was linked to the ‘BALCO Scandal’. But this was not the end of the scandal, after several weeks investigators revealed that Marion’s whole family was involved in this scandal. Her ex- husband also admitted that he was using illegal substances, after that her friends, who was also the father of her first children admitted using steroids.
After this scandal, Marion lost all of her awards, she couldn’t continue with her career and she devoted her time to family.
Early life
Marion had a very difficult childhood; her mother was Belizean, while her father was an American. Her father, George Jones, met her mother when he was on vacation. He fell in love and together they decided to marry. Her mother did not come from a wealthy family; her parents did not have a job and they lived very hard. The only chance for a good life was to marry George. Her mother had big problems for citizenship; she could not find work, or finish her college. Her father was an athlete, he loved basketball, but he never achieved better results.
After five years of marriage, her mother is granted citizenship and Marion is soon born. However, her parents decide to divorce, because there were great differences between them. After the divorce, George was not particularly interested in Marion, and all concern over her was taken over by her mother, who had always been her big support. Marion was 8 years old when her parents divorced, and this was a very difficult moment in her life.
When she was divorced from her husband, her mother began to do various jobs. At one time, she was a cook in an orphanage, then she was a waitress in a Chinese restaurant, and she usually did more work to raise Marion. She did not receive any help from the state or the husband; she was independent and was trying to secure a better future for Marion.
After several years her mother married Ira Toler, he was employed in the post, but after a severe knee injury, he retired very early. Ira took care of Marion and her brother, Albert Kelly. Children liked to spend time with Ira, he was like a father to them and he even thought that they were his children.
Albert, Marion’s elder brother was very talented for sports. He trained basketball, he liked running and he had very good results when he was a basketball player. The event that shook the entire family was when Albert died. This event was a big shock for the whole family; Albert never had any health problems.
Marion has never talked about this event in public; she did not want to reveal what was the cause of his death, even when she grew up. In an interview for ESPN, she revealed that her brother was her greatest role model; he was the reason why Marion began to work professionally. Marion said that every medal and victory she had in her career was dedicated to her brother. She found that they had a special relationship, and that they were very close. After his death, everything changed for Marion.
Marion focused her anger and sadness on sport, she started training basketball, running and gymnastics.
Her coach regularly worked with Marion at school, she had the best results in High School. Marion had equally good results both on the track and in basketball. She had an equally good chance of succeeding in both sports. Marion had never given up basketball because of the track and athletics; she decided to pay attention on both fields.
Career
Marion achieved many successes in high school, but her serious career began when she appeared at the 1992 Olympics, she was in the 200m final. She also participated in all state competitions that year and she received a scholarship from the University of North Carolina. She played basketball for North Carolina, and she helped the team to win the first place in the state.
In 1999, Marion appeared at the World Championship and surprised the American public. She won a 200m sprint medal, then won 7th place in long jump.
The greatest event in her career was the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Then she won three gold medals (100 m sprint, 200 m sprint and 400 m sprint) and two bronze medals. This was the greatest success in her career, but soon it was discovered that she used illegal substances and all her prizes were seized. Her husband then testified that he saw Jones using drugs, but she admitted it 2007.
Jones participated in the 2004 Olympics, but did not achieve success. The only success Jones accomplished after scandal was 2006, when she won a gold medal in the 100m sprint, Jones received a call for the 2008 Olympics, but did not appear.
After 2008, Jones didn’t appear on competitions, she devoted time to her family and writing. So far she has published two books, in which she is talking about her life, career, family, breakdown at Olympics and success in 2006.
Jones remained very dominant in the sprint, and many believe that her results even after the big scandal are very good. Jones admitted that she had experienced a major career change in 2000, and that she never had the opportunity to dedicate her career to the maximum after this event.
Personal life
While studying at the University of North Carolina, Marion met the coach C.J. Hunter. Together they trained, but in accordance with the law, Hunter had no right to train Marion for the Olympic Games, so he left his job and started his career as a personal trainer. Soon after this, Hunter and Marion begin a relationship; they get married after a few months.
The two were seriously preparing for the Olympic Games in Sydney, and Marion then declared that she wanted to win 5 gold medals. Together they went to the Olympics, and after a great success Marion, it was discovered that her coach was positive on all tests and that he used steroids.
When he appeared at the press conference, Hunter was desperate, he was even crying. He claimed that the results were inaccurate, although he was tested five times. Even after 5 years, Hunter said that he never used steroids, and he wanted to use modern technology for testing, but he never succeeded.
The couple divorced in 2002, and in the book Marion Jones: Life in the Fast Lane, Marion revealed that this event destroyed their marriage and that there was never a love between them anymore.
After the divorce, Mario begins a relationship with Tim Montgomery, and they soon get a baby. Tim was a world champion in the sprint. In 2004, he wanted to participate in the Olympic Games, but soon he became involved in the BLANCO scandal. Tim had excellent results, but investigators discovered his illegal use of substances and stripped him of all the results he had ever achieved, all rewards, medals and victories. After this scandal Tim retired.
In 2007, Marion married Obadele Thompson, and they together have two children, Ahmir and Eva-Marie.
In 2011, Marion began writing the book On the Right Track: From Olympic Downfall to Finding Forgiveness and the Strength to Overcome and Succeed, in this book she wrote about the breakdown that she called for at the 2000 Olympics, apart from this she talked about her family, children and life without sport.
Quick Summary
Full name: Marion Jones
Date of birth: October 12, 1975
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Age: 44
Profession: Athlete
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 68 kg
Net Worth: $ 7 million
