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London: The International Association of Athletics Federations are hoping that Marion Jones will help educate the world's youngsters on the perils of taking drugs and then lying about it. This path to possible redemption will happen only after Jones has served the six-month prison sentence imposed Friday by a federal judge in White Plains, New York.
In the most dramatic fall from grace for the former three-time Olympic champion, Jones, 32, was jailed on two counts of lying to federal investigators.
She had earlier pleaded guilty to lying to investigators looking into the San Francisco-based nutrition company, Balco doping scandal about her use of performance-enhancing drugs and as part of another inquiry, lying about her knowledge of a cheque fraud involving her former partner, the disgraced sprinter, Tim Montgomery.
Despite her tearful pleas for leniency, the mother of two was told by District Judge Kenneth Karas that "nobody is above the legal obligation to tell the truth".
In a severe sentence that took the lawyers from both sides by surprise, Jones was also given two years' probation and supervised release and ordered to do 400 hours of community service.
Broke down
The judge said that this should involve talking to children about taking drugs and lying. Jones has already been stripped of the five medals she won at the Sydney Olympics and all her performances since September 1, 2000, have been erased by the IAAF.
Jones, who arrived at court with her second husband, Obadele Thompson, was ordered to return to court on March 11 to begin her prison term.
She admitted in a statement to the court before sentencing that she was "scared and nervous" about the outcome.
She later broke down in tears as she asked to be spared time in jail. "Yes, I made mistakes by lying," she said. "I have admitted these too late but hopefully not too late to elicit from you the milk of human kindness. We all make mistakes. But I strongly believe that a person's true character is revealed by their admission of those mistakes."
It was a performance lost on the judge. He said: "The offences here are serious. They each involve lies made three years apart."
Jones had little to say as she left the court. She said: "I respect the judge's order and I truly hope that people will learn from my mistakes." The IAAF will continue to worry that Jones evaded detection for so long. Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency, said: "Hopefully, at the end of all of this, some lessons can be learned. Doping catches up with you and Marion has lived a horrible life in the last few years knowing that her cheating was going to catch up with her. While justice is slow, eventually the truth will prevail."
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