The greatest womens track and field star of her generation flashes a contagious smile. The energy is undeniable. The intensity that once defined her on the track is still present, but in a different form.
Marion Jones is happy.
Jones celebrates her 50th birthday on Sunday. Its been a roller coaster of a half-century. She was an all-around star of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney as a sprinter and a jumper. Six years prior, Jones, then a dual-sport athlete at the University of North Carolina, won an NCAA basketball championship and was on the court as a freshman point guard when teammate Charlotte Smith hit one of the biggest shots in college basketball history. Basketball success ultimately led to her later playing two seasons with the Tulsa Shock of the WNBA. She was the leagues oldest rookie at 34.
But Jones also had track accomplishments stripped along with those of her teammates after a tempestuous doping scandal, which led to her serving six months in a federal prison in 2008.
Fast forward to a new phase of life. Its been 21 years since Jones last appearance in Olympic competition, 17 since her release from incarceration and 14 since she last played professional basketball.
Jones is now many things: A mother. A podcaster. A motivational speaker and trainer. After all the tearful confessions from the 2000s, she refuses to keep apologizing.
The past doesnt weigh on her anymore.
You not only have done your physical time, but youve done your mental time, as well, Jones recalled telling herself. Stop beating yourself (up). Youve apologized. Youve apologized more times than you ever needed to.
Now its time for you to live your life.
The BALCO scandal was a performance-enhancing drug case that touched track and field, football and baseball in the late 1990s and early 2000s. BALCO, which stood for Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, was run by Victor Conte and supplied banned performance-enhancing drugs to athletes. Baseball stars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski and several track athletes once were implicated.
Jones was the only athlete to serve prison time for lying to federal investigators about steroid use and fraudulent checks. In October 2007, she admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs before the 2000 Olympics and also made false statements in two government investigations. After admitting her guilt, Jones was stripped of her five medals from the Sydney Olympics.
In the aftermath, Jones decided the best way to take care of herself was to step away from the public eye. From 2014 to 2024, she remained out of the limelight and focused on herself and her family.
I decided: Let me raise my babies. Let me be a mom, and let me figure out my life, she said. And then, more importantly, figure out who I am. What am I? What is my story? Who are you going to be?
Jones waited until her two oldest children, Tim Montgomery Jr. and Amir Thompson, were adults and her daughter, Eva-Marie Thompson, was old enough to grasp all that had happened before living more as a public figure.
Along the way, there were signs that Jones wasnt just an ordinary mother. She still had plenty of fans who often approached her when she and her family were in public settings.
It definitely was quite weird growing up, Amir, a sprinter at Arizona State, said via email. I remember instances where people would beg for her signature, a photo, or even have random people pay for our food in restaurants. I have grown to learn a lot more about my mom, as any other child would, and have realized her feats are impressive, to say the least.
During her hiatus, Jones divorced former Barbadian track star Obadele Thompson. After the hiatus, she identified as a gay woman of color, something she has openly discussed during her recent media appearances.
I had already, for a decade-plus, been living my truth, living my life, Jones said. When I made the decision to step back on the scene, I realized, Oh, wait, the world doesnt know that. This is who I love and who Ive always been, and because of certain pressures and things and fear, I didnt step into my true self.
Jones believes she has found her true calling in helping others see the best in themselves. Her smile is ever-present in conversation, and her mood is upbeat.
People think that the highlight of my life was running fast from here to there or winning Olympic medals, and thats not how I see it, Jones said. I see that the highlight of my life, really, is how many people can I truly, positively impact.
If it has to be because of my journey and my story, so be it.
Jones business partner and good friend, Suzanne Evans, said the former Olympic star has a gift that allows her to encourage others. Jones personality disarms those she meets and puts them at ease.
Marion has this almost indescribable ability to make you feel like shes your best friend in the first three minutes of meeting you, Evans said. I think people think that Marion Jones gift was athleticism and she was very gifted at that but that is not her gift. Her gift is seeing the greatness in people from the very moment she encounters them.
Jones outstanding athleticism has been displayed for decades since growing up in Southern California. She won an NCAA basketball title and went 92-10 in her four seasons at North Carolina. She was a six-time track and field All-American with the Tar Heels. Then, in 2000, Jones became the first woman to win five medals in one Olympics, though those medals were stripped.
Jones still found some solace in sports after finishing her prison sentence. She returned to her basketball roots, playing in the WNBA with the Shock in 2010 and for part of 2011, a span of 47 games.
She later became engrossed with swimming and competed in and won her first triathlon in May. She managed to land an endorsement deal with Soul Cap, which makes inclusive swimwear and caps that cater to those with locked hair.
Jones showed courage and transparency after appearing last year on Season 3 of Special Forces: Worlds Toughest Test, the Fox reality show in which athletes and celebrities go through rigorous military training courses led by Special Forces instructors. During a meeting with the directing staff, she opened up about what happened involving the doping scandal. (Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel and wide receivers Randall Cobb and Eric Decker, as well as former NBA guard Nick Young, are among the athletes appearing this season.)
Jones podcast, Second Wind, featuring Evans as a co-host, debuted in April. The pair first met last year when Evans was in search of a trainer. Shed lost 130 pounds and wanted to go on a major hike in Austin, Texas, for her 50th birthday.
Evans mentioned to a business client that she needed a trainer. The client texted Evans the name Marion Jones and included her contact information. Evans paused. There was no way it was that Marion Jones.
Right?
I said, Are you out of your mind? Evans recalled. I am not training with Marion Jones. Im not trying to go to the Olympics.
Evans was worried Jones would put her through grueling workouts. Instead, she found the Olympian to be welcoming and encouraging. Evans felt that support when she participated in her first sprint triathlon. Jones surprised Evans by taking a red-eye flight from Texas to North Carolina to show support.
Evans goal was to finish the triathlon, which she did, but Jones couldnt shake her inclination to push people to do more.
About six hours later, she said, You know, Suzanne, at the very end, did you see that man that was beside you? You could have beat him at the end, and you kind of walked across that finish line, Evans recalled. She said, I think you had some more in the tank. Its this sneaky, casual way of asking: What will the next goal be, and could you have been pushed harder?
Evans has seen firsthand the result of Jones decision to stop focusing on her past mistakes. When Jones was once asked what she would say to her fans about her past, Evans recalled Jones reply: Google it.
The message is clear: Jones has apologized enough and will not continue doing so.
Its not that she pretends the past didnt exist. Rather, shes building on it.
She says, I am who I am today because of everything that has happened, and I know that it has made me a better person, Evans said. I think the thing she focuses on so much is her relatability. Not everybody can relate to being an Olympian, and not everybody can relate to going to federal prison, but everybody can relate to failing. Everybody can relate to failing at something, and failure is not forever.
A glimpse of how Jones views herself, after everything from her past, is revealing.
A woman who was blessed with an enormous amount of physical talent and did X, Y and Z. And also, a human, Jones said of herself. But she was resilient. She persevered, and she was able to step into what I think will be my true greatness in this life. Hopefully, thats what Im remembered by.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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