Oly: Jones's husband gave me syringe, says THG whistleblower

AAP General News (Australia)
08-27-2004
Oly: Jones's husband gave me syringe, says THG whistleblower

ATHENS, Aug 26 AFP - CJ Hunter, the disgraced former husband of Marion Jones, passed
on the syringe containing the designer steroid THG which sparked the doping controversy
rocking US track and field, it was claimed today.

Trevor Graham, the former coach of Marion Jones, said banned shot putter Hunter, who
is also Jones's ex-husband, gave the syringe to him because he wanted to see the drug
give an athlete enough power to beat his ex-wife on the track.

"Hunter gave me the syringe," Graham told Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport.

"He came to training and said to me that he wanted to become my assistant. He wanted
to construct an athlete capable of beating Marion.

"He showed me the syringe which contained a little liquid and said to me: 'Try this
and see what effect it has. From then on, everyone used it."

Graham then insisted that he took the decision to pass on the syringe to the American
anti-doping agency USADA.

The investigation has led to the BALCO company in California which has been accused
of distributing illegal performance enhancing drugs - including the once-undetectable
steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG).

Graham, who has insisted Jones is clean, took the decision to pass on the syringe "to
save the credibility of American sport", he told the newspaper.

Twenty-seven athletes are suspected of having received steroids from BALCO.

Four men, including BALCO owner Victor Conte, have pleaded not guilty on charges of
illegal steroid distribution in connection with the scandal that has raised questions
regarding Jones, baseball star Barry Bonds and others.

Graham, who coaches newly-crowned 100m champion Justin Gatlin, admitted on Monday that
he was the man who sent the syringe.

"I was just a coach doing the right thing at that time," he said.

Graham, who has six athletes who have tested positive for doping, formerly coached
triple Olympic champion Jones and her boyfriend and 100m world record holder Tim Montgomery.

However, their relationship has soured to such an extent that Jones is the subject
of lurid allegations of drug-taking by her bitter ex-husband and drugs cheat Hunter.

Jones is under investigation by anti-doping agency USADA and has denied all such allegations.

Montgomery is one of four US track stars facing a lifetime ban accused by USADA of
using an array of prohibited performance-enhancing substances.

AFP sp

KEYWORD: OLY DOPING US

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