Tim Montgomery
Encyclopedia
Timothy Montgomery is a former American
athlete. In 2005, he was stripped of his records – including a now void 100m world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002 – after being found guilt
y of using performance-enhancing drugs. Since retiring from athletics he has been tried and convicted for his part in a New York
–based check fraud scheme and for dealing heroin in the Hampton Roads
area of Virginia
. He is currently (November 2009) serving time in Montgomery prison, Alabama
, but still trains in the hope of making a comeback at the London
2012 Olympics.
, Montgomery was initially a basketball
and football
player, before trying out for track.
Montgomery studied at Blinn College
in Brenham, Texas, and transferred to Norfolk State University in 1994. Located in the Hampton Roads area of the Virginia port city of Norfolk, Norfolk State was known for its strong track program. While in school, he competed in several junior track events, and did well in the sprint and relay events.
Montgomery did not qualify for the 1996 Summer Olympics
100 meters, although he did compete in Atlanta in the heats of the 4 x 100 metres relay
team that eventually finished second behind Canada
. He qualified for his first major international tournament in 1997, and won the bronze medal at those World Championships, finishing third behind Maurice Greene
. Two years later, he came in sixth in the individual final, but did win a gold medal with the US relay team.
Montgomery did not qualify for the individual 100 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, though he again ran as an alternate in the heats of the relay event; in the final, the USA won the gold medal.
Montgomery broke Greene
's 100 m world record by 0.01 seconds in September 2002. With a tailwind of 2.0 m/s (the maximum allowed), Montgomery ran 9.78. This record was later discredited because of doping.
, finishing seventh in the final of the United States Olympic trials. Before the trials, however, he was charged with using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, by the United States Anti-Doping Agency
(USADA). While he has not returned a positive drug test, according to press reports he testified to the agency that he, along with a number of other prominent athletes (including baseball
star Barry Bonds
), obtained steroids and human growth hormone
from BALCO
, a laboratory near San Francisco. The USADA sought a four year suspension on Montgomery, who appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(CAS). On 13 December 2005, the CAS found Montgomery guilty and imposed a two year ban. On top of the ban, all of Montgomery's results and awards since 31 March 2001, including his former world record, had also been stripped. After the ban was announced, Montgomery announced his retirement.
The investigation also implicated his former partner Marion Jones
, winner of the women's 100 metres at the Sydney Games
.
On the 24 November 2008, Montgomery admitted to taking testosterone
and human growth hormone before the Sydney Games 4 x 100 metres relay
, in which he helped claim the gold medal. It remains unclear though how the admission will affect team-mates Jon Drummond
, Bernard Williams
, Brian Lewis, Maurice Greene
and Kenneth Brokenburr
. An IOC
spokeswoman said the committee would look into the matter as part of its open file on the Balco investigation.
scheme. He is accused of depositing three bogus checks totaling $775,000. Montgomery allegedly received $20,000 for his participation. His former coach, Steve Riddick, was also a defendant in the case.
Riddick is serving a prison term of five years and three months. Marion Jones
served a six-month prison term for lying to investigators about the check-fraud scam.
Montgomery pleaded guilty to the charges on April 9, 2007. He was sentenced to 46 months in prison on May 16, 2008.
In October Montgomery was found guilty and sentenced to five years in jail.
. He and Jones are no longer partners. In 2009, Montgomery married Jamalee, the mother of another of his children, while in prison.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete. In 2005, he was stripped of his records – including a now void 100m world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002 – after being found guilt
Guilt (law)
In criminal law, guilt is entirely externally defined by the state, or more generally a “court of law.” Being “guilty” of a criminal offense means that one has committed a violation of criminal law, or performed all the elements of the offense set out by a criminal statute...
y of using performance-enhancing drugs. Since retiring from athletics he has been tried and convicted for his part in a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
–based check fraud scheme and for dealing heroin in the Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
area of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He is currently (November 2009) serving time in Montgomery prison, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, but still trains in the hope of making a comeback at the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
2012 Olympics.
Career
Born in Gaffney, South CarolinaGaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is also sometimes referred to as the Peach capital of South Carolina. The population was 12,414 at the 2010 census...
, Montgomery was initially a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, before trying out for track.
Montgomery studied at Blinn College
Blinn College
Blinn College is a two-year academic institution based in Brenham, Texas with campuses in Brenham, Bryan, Schulenburg, and Sealy. While the Brenham campus is Blinn's main campus, more than 70% of students attend the Bryan campus....
in Brenham, Texas, and transferred to Norfolk State University in 1994. Located in the Hampton Roads area of the Virginia port city of Norfolk, Norfolk State was known for its strong track program. While in school, he competed in several junior track events, and did well in the sprint and relay events.
Montgomery did not qualify for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
100 meters, although he did compete in Atlanta in the heats of the 4 x 100 metres relay
4 x 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race...
team that eventually finished second behind Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He qualified for his first major international tournament in 1997, and won the bronze medal at those World Championships, finishing third behind Maurice Greene
Maurice Greene (athlete)
Maurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion...
. Two years later, he came in sixth in the individual final, but did win a gold medal with the US relay team.
Montgomery did not qualify for the individual 100 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, though he again ran as an alternate in the heats of the relay event; in the final, the USA won the gold medal.
Montgomery broke Greene
Maurice Greene (athlete)
Maurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion...
's 100 m world record by 0.01 seconds in September 2002. With a tailwind of 2.0 m/s (the maximum allowed), Montgomery ran 9.78. This record was later discredited because of doping.
Steroid scandal and retirement
Montgomery did not qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, finishing seventh in the final of the United States Olympic trials. Before the trials, however, he was charged with using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, by the United States Anti-Doping Agency
United States Anti-Doping Agency
The United States Anti-Doping Agency , is a non-profit organization and the national anti-doping organization for the United States. The organization is charged with managing the anti-doping program for the U.S...
(USADA). While he has not returned a positive drug test, according to press reports he testified to the agency that he, along with a number of other prominent athletes (including baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
star Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
), obtained steroids and human growth hormone
Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
from BALCO
Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative was an American company led by founder and owner Victor Conte, a former bass player for the soul band Tower of Power. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug sports scandal later referred to as the...
, a laboratory near San Francisco. The USADA sought a four year suspension on Montgomery, who appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
(CAS). On 13 December 2005, the CAS found Montgomery guilty and imposed a two year ban. On top of the ban, all of Montgomery's results and awards since 31 March 2001, including his former world record, had also been stripped. After the ban was announced, Montgomery announced his retirement.
The investigation also implicated his former partner Marion Jones
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
, winner of the women's 100 metres at the Sydney Games
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
On the 24 November 2008, Montgomery admitted to taking testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
and human growth hormone before the Sydney Games 4 x 100 metres relay
4 x 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race...
, in which he helped claim the gold medal. It remains unclear though how the admission will affect team-mates Jon Drummond
Jon Drummond
Jonathan A. Drummond is an American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics....
, Bernard Williams
Bernard Williams (athlete)
Bernard Rollen Williams, III is an American track and field athlete and winner of a gold medal in 4×100-meters relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics.- Biography :Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Bernard Williams won the 100 m at the 1999 Pan-American Games....
, Brian Lewis, Maurice Greene
Maurice Greene (athlete)
Maurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion...
and Kenneth Brokenburr
Kenneth Brokenburr
Kenneth Brokenburr is a former American sprinter. He won an Olympic gold medal as part of the 4x100 meter relay team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.-Early life:...
. An IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
spokeswoman said the committee would look into the matter as part of its open file on the Balco investigation.
Money laundering charge
In April 2006, Montgomery was indicted and arrested on fraud charges for his alleged involvement in a money launderingMoney laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
scheme. He is accused of depositing three bogus checks totaling $775,000. Montgomery allegedly received $20,000 for his participation. His former coach, Steve Riddick, was also a defendant in the case.
Riddick is serving a prison term of five years and three months. Marion Jones
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
served a six-month prison term for lying to investigators about the check-fraud scam.
Montgomery pleaded guilty to the charges on April 9, 2007. He was sentenced to 46 months in prison on May 16, 2008.
Heroin arrest
On May 1, 2008, an indictment was unsealed that accused the 33-year-old sprinter of dealing more than 100 grams of heroin in the Virginia Beach area over the past year, according to The Virginian Pilot, the daily newspaper in Virginia Beach, Va. Montgomery told the newspaper he knew nothing of the accusations and that his arrest was a "total surprise."In October Montgomery was found guilty and sentenced to five years in jail.
Personal life
Montgomery has four children including one son, Tim Jr (born 28 June 2003) who was conceived with fellow American sprinter, Marion JonesMarion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
. He and Jones are no longer partners. In 2009, Montgomery married Jamalee, the mother of another of his children, while in prison.
See also
- List of athletes found guilty of using banned drugs
- World record progression 100 metres menWorld record progression 100 metres menThe first record in the 100 metres for men was recognised by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, in 1912...
External links
- USATF profile for Tim Montgomery
- Extensive overview article from ESPN