Drugs-cheat Jones jailed
Friday, 11 Jan 2008 18:53
Marion Jones jailed for six months by US court
Former Olympic champion Marion Jones has been jailed for six months after admitting she lied to FBI officials investigating doping allegations.
The 32-year-old, the first-ever woman to win five gold medals in an Olympics, broke down as the sentence was delivered in New York.
Jones has already had her Olympic medals from Sydney 2000 stripped from her by the International Olympic Committee after she admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs, despite early protests to the contrary.
Although her steroids confession coincided with her immediate retirement from athletics, she has been banned from competing until October 2009.
The mother-of-two is also barred from attending the 2008 Beijing Olympics in "any… capacity".
In court today she appealed for the judge to be lenient and allow her to be put under house arrest.
"I ask you to be as merciful as a human being can be," Jones said.
"I know the day is quickly approaching when my boys ask me about these current events. I intend to be honest and forthright and guide them into not making the same mistakes."
But US district judge Kenneth Karas, who handed out the maximum penalty allowed under Jones' plea deal, said he wanted to "promote respect for the law".
Jones became the first woman to win five medals in one Olympics when she came first in the 100m, 200m and 4x400m relay seven years ago.
She also picked up bronze medals in the 4x100m relay and the long jump.
Despite previously denying she took banned substances, in October a tearful Jones admitted using steroids between September 2000 and July 2001.