What now for Marion Jones?
The former sprinter pleaded guilty to for lying about her steroid use and involvement in a drugs fraud case last October and was sentenced on Friday to six months in prison.
Jones was the first female to win five Olympic medals - 100m, 200m and 4x400m relay gold and bronzes in the long jump and 4x100m relay, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Back then she was arguably the most famous female athlete in the world.
But last year she admitted lying to a federal investigator in November 2003 when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
OK - six months in the clink for lying seems extreme, yet I have no sympathy for Marion Jones. Considering that the 32-year-old Californian was also involved in 'anti-drug' campaigns, her fall from grace was deserved.
But the damage to athletics was done long ago. Who can forget Ben Johnson? Or the suspicion that athletes from the Soviet Bloc were using drugs?
I for one, won't be looking forward to this year's Olympic Games in Beijing. I'll be wondering whether he/she was really that good - or were they on "something" each time a record is broken.
Six-month jail sentence for Jones
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