Olympic Champion Marion Jones Admitted to Using Performance Enhancing Drugs

Few stars shone brighter during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney than Marion Jones. Marion was once considered the fastest woman in the world, but after the 2000 Olympics, she was stripped of all five medals she earned at the games, which included three gold medals and two silvers.

Now, Marion is trying to reclaim some of her legacy, even as many wonder exactly what happened to her. Here's what we know about what happened to Marion, and why she was stripped of her medals.

Marion Jones was stripped of her medals because she was found to have used performance-enhancing drugs and lied about it to federal investigators in 2003. Marion remained adamant for years afterward that she had not used drugs of any kind, but more than 20 years later, she's now ready for a reboot to her legacy.

During an interview with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, she was much more transparent about her past drug use.

Robin asked her if she believed she still would have won her medals even without using the drugs.

"The answer's very easy for me: 1000 percent," she said. "And that's what makes it very hard. I was blessed with just an enormous amount of talent ... But knowing that it didn't need to happen the way that it did always will stick with me as a moment that is hard."

Marion was also sentenced to prison time because of her drug use and has lived a quiet life since being released from prison.

Marion didn't go to prison for the drug use itself, but because she lied to federal prosecutors about it when they were investigating her in 2003. In 2008, she was sentenced to six months in prison, two years of supervised release, and 800 hours of community service. Since being released in 2008, Marion has been reflecting on exactly why she made the choices she did.

"When I was in 49 days of solitary confinement, right, and I was sitting there saying, 'OK, Marion,'" she said. "Like, again, 'You could allow all of this to just put you under. Or you can use what your mom has always said about you, that you're something special, and that you're unique.' ... I was not gonna allow my poor choices to waste her dream."

Now, Marion says she is embarking on a new coaching initiative that she hopes will help others avoid the mistakes she made.

"Well, I would hope that people would look at my journey, Robin, and ultimately come to the conclusion that failure isn't forever," she said. "That although many people cannot relate to being an Olympic athlete, an Olympic champion, a convicted felon, everybody can relate when it comes to failure in their lives, right?"

Marion also added that she's been following the 2024 Olympics in spite of her own past.

"I love sitting with my daughter and watching Simone Biles, and all the rock star female athletes that are there right now," she said. "I think a lot of people are surprised when I say that when I watch the games — it's happy moments that I relive."