- Disgraced Olympic champion has endured a horrid last five years
Olympics drug cheat Marion Jones has explained the horrifying reality of her day-to-day life, revealing that she struggles to complete a basic task that millions of everyday Australians take for granted: walking down a flight of stairs.
The 50-year-old was once among the track world’s biggest names, winning three gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
But she went from hero to zero in less than a decade as she was found to have illegal performance-enhancing drugs in her system while competing, resulting in her having her medals stripped and spending six months in jail.
Jones has been battling the affects of ‘neuromyelitis optica’, an auto-immune disease she was diagnosed with in 2020, which left her temporarily paralysed and unable to walk.
But she’s now also revealed in an Instagram video that she struggles just to walk down a flight of stairs.
Marion Jones (pictured recently) has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and making false statements in two government investigations
Jones had the world at her feet at the Sydney Olympics (pictured), winning five medals in total
The 50-year-old has posted an Instagram video (pictured) in which she struggles to walk down a flight of stairs and has to pause before taking each step
The new video, posted with the caption ‘they (her knees) are hanging on by a thread, fam… but we’re still standin’ has left her loyal fans and followers very concerned.
It shows the once formidable sprinter struggling to put one foot in front of the other, and having to pause before taking each step while holding the railing attached to the staircase, instead of walking down freely.
The post has been met with more than 4000 comments and 180,000 likes, with fans showing their support and concern.
‘Blessings to you, Sis. I lift you up for strength and ask that all pain fades permanently,’ said one Instagram user.
‘This is the real reality of athletes….. those knees and other joints def remind you of your age and your limits,’ another commented.
Neuromyelitis optica is a rare autoimmune disease which attacks the central nervous system, and mainly affects the optic nerves and spinal cord.
It landed a devastating blow on Jones.
‘I was admitted to a rehabilitation centre to learn how to walk again. It was devastating to hear that I had an auto-immune disease,’ Jones said earlier this year.
In addition to her track career, Jones also played professional basketball for the Tulsa Shock WNBA team
In a shock to even the most avid sprinting experts, Usain Bolt (pictured) has struggled with his health after retiring
The former sprinter isn’t the only big-name track star to struggle in retirement, with eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt revealing he now loses his breath when walking up stairs.
The news about Jones’ condition comes just days after the man accused to have supplied the drugs she used to her, Victor Conte, passed away aged 75.
He pleaded guilty in 2005 to conspiracy to distribute steroids, and money laundering after being accused of supplying drugs to top athletes.
These included baseball legends Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, as well as the Olympic sprinter.
Jones has remained in the public eye since her fall from grace, and only a few months ago was training to take part in the Berlin Marathon despite her painful condition.
Last year, she also competed in the Chicago Marathon and still pushes herself to her limits.
