Thanou wants Jones's 100M gold medal

[Hortical]

Saturday, October 6, 2007
Lawyer: Thanou should get Jones' 100M gold from Sydney
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece -- Katerina Thanou's lawyer insists the Greek sprinter deserves the 100-meter gold medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics after finishing as runner-up to Marion Jones. Thanou, however, was at the center of a doping scandal at the Athens Games four years later. Her lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, said she should still be considered a worthy winner. "I believe that since [Jones] used banned substances and undeservedly won the race with the use of illegal means, it would be correct for her to lose the gold medal.

It should deservedly be awarded to Ms. Thanou,'' Dimitrakopoulos told The Associated Press on Saturday. Jones could be stripped of her five Olympic medals after pleading guilty Friday in suburban New York to lying to federal investigators when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs. Jones also pleaded guilty to lying about her role in a check-fraud scheme. Lamine Diack, president of track and field's governing body, said Jones "will be remembered as one of the biggest frauds in sporting history.'' "A lot of people believed in the achievements of Marion Jones and this confession leaves a bitter taste, and tarnishes the image of a sport in which a majority of athletes are honest and clean,'' he said. However, Diack said he was also satisfied with Jones' confession because it meant the anti-doping message was working. "This case shows that it doesn't matter how big a name you are, or when the offense was committed, if you are doping, we will get you in the end," he said.

Thanou and fellow Greek runner Kostas Kenteris failed to show up for drug tests on the eve of the Athens games, claimed they were injured in a motorcycle accident and eventually pulled out. Both were later suspended for two years. Thanou and Kenteris returned to competition in February, and were to be tried in a Greek court last month on perjury charges related to the doping test.

The hearing was postponed until June 19, 2008. The International Association of Athletics Federations will work with the IOC to determine whether Jones should be stripped of her medals from Sydney and other results. Under statute of limitations rules, the IOC and other sports bodies can go back eight years to remove medals and nullify results. In Jones' case, that would include the 2000 Olympics, where she won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600-meter relay and bronze in the long jump and 400 relay. Jones won a gold (100 meters) and bronze (long jump) at the 1999 worlds in Seville, Spain, and two gold (200 and 4x100) and a silver (100) at the 2001 world championships in Edmonton, Alberta.

[Karl]

Jamaica in line for 4x400m relay gold

Jamaica in line for 4x400m relay gold
published: Sunday | October 7, 2007


JAMAICA COULD be in line to collect their first women's Olympic Games mile relay gold medal if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decides to strip American super star Marion Jones of her medals won in Sydney in 2000. Jones on Friday admitted to using the performance-enhancing drugs leading up to the 2000 Games and has now expected to be asked to surrender medals and earnings she won during the period of drug use.

Jones won five medals in Sydney including gold with the U.S. 4x400m team. The Jamaica quartet of Deon Hemmings-McCatty, Lorraine Fenton, Sandy Richards and Catherine Scott finished second in 3:23.25, behind U.S. (3:22.62).

medal upgrade Meanwhile, in the 100m, which Jones won, Tayna Lawrence (11.18) could see her bronze medal upgraded to silver while fourth-placed Merlene Ottey could get her 17th medal at a world event - a bronze. In the 200m, which was also won by Jones, Beverley McDonald, who finished fourth, would also move up to the bronze.

[Baddaz]

exceptional circumstances requires exceptional action... the iaaf should make an exception and refuse to grant the gold to thanou...

a 'convicted' drug cheat forfeits the right to be awarded the gold medal considering the cloud of suspicion that surrounds them - for the good and integrity of the sport...

[Mosiah]

Simple!

[Gamma]

Merlene!

[Jangle]

Sunday, October 07, 2007
The 29 victims of Marion Jones
After seven years of lying through her teeth, U.S. sprinter Marion Jones has confessed to using steroids leading up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 where she won five medals.

The International Olympic Committee is now preparing to strip Jones of those medals-- gold in the 100 metre dash, gold in the 200 metres, gold in the 1600 metre relay, bronze in the long jump and bronze in the 400 metre relay.

The impact of that act will be felt by 29 women---the 29 victims of Marion Jones.

Six--Jones' relay partners--will lose the medals they thought they won. 23 others will get medals they were cheated out of at Sydney.

But that's cold comfort for the damage done to them by Jones. She stole their rightful place in the spotlight at the Sydney Olympics. She robbed them of the joy of standing on the winners' podium to the cheers of their countrymen. She cheated them of irreplaceable memories--photos of their getting their medals in the Olympic Stadium, welcome-home rallies at airports, newspaper clippings of them beaming as they hold up their trophies, being introduced at public and private functions as a gold medal winner, a silver medal winner, an Olympic medal winner.

Marion Jones feasted on their disappointments for seven years. Who, then, are her victims?

The results of the Women's 100 metres were:
1. Marion Jones, Los Angeles, 10.75.
2. Ekaterini Thanou, Greece, 11.12.
3. Tanya Lawrence, Jamaica, 11.18.
4. Merlene Ottey, Jamaica, 11.19.

Thanou will get the gold. Lawrence the silver. And Jamaica's Merlene Ottey becomes an Olympic medal winner with the bronze.

The results of the 200 metre race were:
1. Marion Jones, Los Angeles, 21.84.
2. Pauline Davis-Thompson, Bahamas, 22.27.
3. Susanthika Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka, 22.28.
4. Beverly McDonald, Jamaica, 22.35.

Davis-Thompson will get the gold medal. Jayasinghe the silver. And Jamaica earns a second medal at the Games with a bronze for Beverly McDonald.

The results of the 1600 relay were:

1. United States (Jearl Miles-Clark, Gainesville, Fla.; Monique Hennagan, Columbia, S.C.; Marion Jones, Los Angeles; La Tasha Colander-Richardson, Portsmouth, Va.), 3:22.62.
2. Jamaica (Sandie Richards; Catherine Scott-Pomales; Deon Hemmings; Lorraine Graham), 3:23.25.
3. Russia (Yulia Sotnikova; Svetlana Gontcharenko; Olga Kotlyarova; Irina Privalova), 3:23.46.
4. Nigeria (Olabisi Afolabi; Charity Opara; Rosemary Okafor; Falilat Ogunkoya), 3:23.80.

Jamaica will get the gold. Russia the silver. And Nigeria the bronze.

Marion Jones' teammates will lose their medals.
For LaTasha Colander, it means she will lose the only Olympics medal she's ever won.
Monique Hennagan can comfort herself with the gold medal she won at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Jearl Miles-Clark has a silver from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and a gold from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

The final results in the Long jump were:
1. Heike Drechsler, Germany, (6.99), 22-11 1-4.
2. Fiona May, Italy, (6.92), 22-8 1-2.
3. Marion Jones, Los Angeles, (6.92), 22-8 1-2.
4. Tatiana Kotova, Russia, (6.83), 22-5.

Kotova of Russia will become the bronze medal winner.

The results of the 400 metre relay were:
1. Bahamas (Sevatheda Fynes; Chandra Sturrup; Pauline Davis-Thompson; Debbie Ferguson), 41.95.
2. Jamaica (Tanya Lawrence; Veronica Campbell; Beverly McDonald; Merlene Ottey), 42.13.
3. United States (Chryste Gaines, San Leandro, Calif.; Torri Edwards, Los Angeles; Nanceen Perry, Fairfield, Texas; Marion Jones, Los Angeles), 42.20.
4. France (Linda Ferga; Muriel Hurtis; Fabe Dia; Christine Arron), 42.42.

France moves up to take the bronze medal.

As for Marion Jones' teammates, Nanceen Perry and Torri Edwards will lose their only Olympic medals. Chryste Gaines will keep her Gold from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

But if anything, the disgrace of Marion Jones only serves to stir up the muck at the bottom of the Olympics talent pool as it reminds us that even some of the victims of Jones' deception have been exposed as cheats in their own right.

Ready to receive the gold medal in the 100 metres is Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou.

Remember that she and a male runner on the Greek team were themselves suspected of using steroids at the 2004 Athens Olympics. They both failed to show up for mandatory drug tests, claiming they had been in a motorcycle accident. Both of them were eventually suspended for two years.

Relay runner Torri Edwards tested positive for the banned stimulant nikethamide in 2004. She was banned from competition for two years and missed the Athens Olympics.

And Chryste Gaines received a two year ban in 2005 for using performance-enhancing drugs.
She also figured prominently in the same BALCO steroids scandal that brought Marion Jones down.

Tim Montgomery, the world's fastest man and Marion Jones' boyfriend, told a grand jury that the supplier of steroids had to get Chryste Gaines' okay before he would agree to help Jones.

"... So Chryste, from my understanding, had told Mr. Conte that: 'Whatever you charge her, if you give me a cut of it, then I don't mind,' '' a transcript of his grand jury testimony reads. "So, I don't know how much the check was for, I don't know if she ever got her cut, but that's how the agreement came for him to work with Marion."

Ugh. It makes you want to take a shower.

The medal shuffle won't have much of an effect on the final country standings. Jamaica is the big winner, adding two (bronze) medals bringing its medal total to 9, tying with Switzerland.

The loss of five medals takes the U.S. total to 92 and narrows its lead over Russia's 89 medals.

Regardless of how quickly the IOC acts to strip Jones of her medals, there's one thing they can do to mitigate the scandal.

They can award the proper medals at the coming 2008 Beijing Olympics with all the pomp and circumstance of a true medal ceremony.