100 metres, Women

Marion Jones was considered the fastest sprinter in the world. She was World Champion in 1997 and 1999, and had been ranked #1 in the world in 1997-1999. She confirmed her status in Sydney, winning the 100 final by an insulting .37 margin over Greece’s Aikaterini Thanou. But the story would not end for several years. In 2000 Jones was married to shot putter C. J. Hunter and during the Sydney Olympics it was revealed that he tested positive for steroids several times earlier in the year. They later divorced, and she then married sprinter Tim Montgomery. In 2003 he was found to have participated with the BALCO Scandal and was banned for two years by the IAAF. In 2006 Jones almost tested positive for the only time in her career, with a sample showing use of eryrthropoietin (EPO) after the US Championships. But her B sample was negative and it was not considered a positive drug test. Shortly thereafter Montgomery was charged in a check-kiting scheme, Jones was implicated as well, and they later divorced. She then married Barbadian sprinter Obadele Thompson, who had, at least, no drug charges against him. In October 2007, Jones admitted to federal prosecutors that she had lied to them and had used steroids in the months prior to the Sydney Olympics. Her 2000 results were stricken by the IAAF and the medals were returned to the IOC. She was found guilty of lying to federal prosecutors and was sentenced to six months in jail, which she began serving in early 2008.

The disposition of the other medals was not so easy. Thanou was the original silver medalist, and could have been upgraded to a gold medal. However, because of her actions just prior to the 2004 Olympics, when she and Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris evaded a drug test by faking a motorcycle accident, the IOC did not upgrade Thanou to the gold medal, leaving her with silver. They did upgrade the bronze medalist, Tayna Lawrence, to silver, however, and Merlene Ottey, the original fourth place finisher, to bronze, giving the event no gold medalist but two silver medalists.