ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Former U.S. track star Marion Jones is telling children in Croatia to think hard before making big decisions, saying she wished she had done so.
Jones was in Croatia on Thursday on behalf of the U.S. State Department, an international opportunity for her to continue rehabilitating her tarnished image after a career brought down by doping.
Once considered the fastest woman in the world, Jones served prison time and gave back her five medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics after lying to federal investigators about taking performance-enhancing drugs.
She says “my goal is to deliver the message to the children to think seriously before making big decisions.” She tells them to “take enough time and think about consequences.”
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.