Marion Jones - The Villain

TRACK & FIELD - SPRINTER - 100M & 200M - TEAM USA - OLYMPIAN - BASKETBALL - UNC - WNBA - TULSA SHOCK

ARCHETYPE: THE VILLAIN

Day 101/135

Athletic Accomplishments

Marion Jones was a multi-sport phenom. A track star, a basketball star, with nothing but upside.

Growing up, Jones played sports as an outlet for grief after her father died. She excelled at both track and basketball, and by age 15, she was one of the most dominant athletes in the state of California.

From the second she stepped on the track, she turned heads, winning a state title in the 100m four years in a row. For her epic success, Jones was selected track and field Gatorade Player of the Year for three consecutive years and High School Athlete of the Year for Track and Field News in both 1991 and 1992.

An extraordinary talent.

Jones went to the University of North Carolina on a basketball scholarship, winning an NCAA title as a freshman in 1994. By 1996, she had redshirted to focus exclusively on track.

In 1997, Jones burst onto the global track scene, winning gold in the 100m and 4x100m at the World Championships—her first major international competition. She followed that with a gold in the 100m and a bronze in the long jump at the 1999 World Championships before getting injured.

This all built up to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where Jones was one of the most hyped and exciting athletes on the docket. She was aiming to win five medals—three individual events and two relays. In the end, Jones cleaned up, taking home three gold medals (100m, 200m, and 4x400m) and two bronze medals (long jump and 4x100m).

It was all Marion Jones.

Or, at least that’s what we thought. But allegations of doping had followed Jones for her entire career, coming to a head in 2004 when Victor Conte, founder of Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), which had been embroiled in a drug sports scandal, publicly declared that he had administered four different performance enhancing drugs to Jones before, during, and after the Sydney Olympics. Jones denied the allegations, citing that she had never failed a drug test.

In 2006, The Washington Post reported that Jones had tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), a banned performance enhancing substance. Once again, Jones issued a denial.

Then, in October of 2007, Jones admitted to lying under oath about her use of steroids. The result was a two-year suspension from any track competition, issued by USADA. The U.S. Olympic Committee also demanded that Jones return her Olympic medals, and the IOC stripped Jones—and her relay teammates—of their medals. Jones’ teammates successfully appealed this decision in 2010. She was later banned from the 2008 Olympics.

During a press conference, following her admission of guilt, Jones broke down in tears. “With a great amount of shame…,” she said. “I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust...and you have the right to be angry with me... I have let my country down and I have let myself down."

And yet, in 2010, Jones signed with the Tulsa Shock, where she played in 47 WNBA games.

Character Archetype: The Villain

Marion Jones is the first athlete to ever break my heart.

It all started so magically, too. Jones as one of the most highly touted multi-event athletes heading to the 2000 Summer Olympics. She had already won three world championship gold medals in the 100m and 4x100m, and a bronze in the long jump. She was already a favorite to win all 5 events she entered in the Sydney Games.

And damn, did she do it. Took home 5 medals—3 golds in the 100m, 200m, and 4x400m and 2 bronzes in the 4x100m and long jump.

For seven years, she held on to those medals. And I held onto hope that it was real. That it was her natural talent, her work ethic, her competitive drive that made her a winner.

But then, it all came crashing down. First it was allegations, then an investigation, then finally an admission that Jones had taken performance enhancing drugs prior to the Sydney Olympics.

As a result, she was disqualified. DQ’ed. Medals stripped, like it never even happened.

But, oh, it happened. She cheated. Looking back, Jones said that she believes she would have won gold in the 100m and 200m even without the doping. Which begs so many questions, the most important of which is… Why?

Jones was already good enough. Great enough. But she cheated, to gain a competitive advantage that she didn’t even need.

In the end, it isn’t her record, medal count, or speed that define Marion Jones, but the choices she made.