Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Marion Jones. They are two women whom I admired. Both were multi-Olympic gold medalists and both participated in my favorite events. I was a fan of both of those women even before I became a multi-medal track
Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Marion Jones. They are two women whom I admired. Both were multi-Olympic gold medalists and both participated in my favorite events.
I was a fan of both of those women even before I became a multi-medal track athlete myself. I was not nearly as talented or successful as either of them, but I’d like to think that I could’ve been had I continued track and field in college.
But now I am no longer a fan of Jones. When word first broke out that she had, in fact, taken steroids during the years I was watching her every performance, I was livid. I was so angry at her. And I thought to myself: I knew it. I should have known.
At the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, I was a little suspicious of her achievements. For some reason, I just couldn’t believe the distances she was jumping and the times she was posting. They didn’t seem believable to me. I don’t know why, but they didn’t.
Yet she denied, denied, denied allegations of steroid use. There was speculation that her teammates even suspected, but may have turned the other way about it.
You know what irks me most is that she was so defiant about steroid use, that she even she sued Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative founder Victor Conte for defamation of character.
She said he lied about supplying her with banned drugs and teaching her how to inject herself with human-growth hormones. We now know that he was telling the truth and she was the liar.
I hate that.
Sure she thought she was taking flaxseed oil. That’s almost like drinking a martini and claiming you didn’t think it had alcohol in it.
Of course you knew, Marion Jones! How do you not know what you’re putting in your body? Your coach gives you something and you take it without asking what it is?
Yeah, right. I don’t believe that at all. If someone says to you, “Here, take this, but don’t say anything about it,” then there’s something fishy going on.
I’m not crying for you, Marion Jones. When federal officials asked you if you took drugs, you should have told the truth. Everyone knows the truth comes out eventually so you should have confessed then.
The thing is, when the Senate committee asks you to testify, you can say anything you want. You get a free pass. You get immunity. Nothing you say can hurt you. You just have to tell the truth. It’s when you don’t that they get you for obstruction of justice and perjury.
The International Association of Athletics Federation released a statement Friday that said all her individual competitive results on or subsequent to September of 2000 have been annulled. She must forfeit and return all awards and medals earned in relation to the 2000 events.
She has already returned the gold medals she won at Sydney for the 100, 200 and 1,600-meter relay to the International Olympic Committee, but it’s up to the IAAF and the IOC to change the record books. She’s been disqualified, but those who finished behind her in those events have not been lifted to winning the golds.
What I don’t like is that her relay teammates are being asked to return their medals, too. I understand why the committees are calling for them, but I don’t like it. It’s not like they did anything wrong. I think they should have to do so if, and only if, they knew about Jones’ steroid use.
Jones is also being asked to return all prize money earned from the wins. She should return all of it, but that’s nearly impossible. She claims she’s broke. But even if she wasn’t, there’s almost no way that someone could keep the some $700,000 in prize money.
So what’s going to happen? The players who will be upgraded as the winners are supposed to have a share of that money.
What can you do? Jones will most likely receive jail time and the drama will continue to play out.
This is such a sad story, but I still don’t feel sorry for Jones.
Athletes who are role models should know better and set good examples.
She’s been given a two-year suspension and cannot compete in any events until October of 2009.
Don’t contest it. Just serve your time; serve your suspension and let us all forget about this. Let’s just hope that nothing like this breaks out again.
• Lanaly Cabalo, sports editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
