Marion Jones

Born

1975-10-12

Birthplace

Los Angeles, California, USA

Biography

Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is an American former world champion track-and-field athlete and former professional basketball player. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but was later stripped of her medals after admitting to lying to federal investigators about her use of performance-enhancing drugs. Jones was one of the most famous athletes to be linked to the BALCO scandal. The performance-enhancing substance usage scandal covered more than 20 top-level athletes, including Jones's ex-husband, shot putter C.J. Hunter. She played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where she won the NCAA championship in 1994. She later played two season of professional basketball in the Women's National Basketball Association, as point guard for the Tulsa Shock. She appeared in season 3 of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test where she was medically withdrawn during the third episode.