Timothy Montgomery (born January 28, 1975) is an American former track sprinter who specialized in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

. In 2005, he was stripped of his records—including a now-void men's 100-meter world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002—after being found guilty of using

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

as a central figure in the BALCO scandal. 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 Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

in the

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...

area of Virginia. Montgomery's first major medal was an Olympic silver in the

4 × 100-meter relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky in many East Asian c ...

at the

1996 Atlanta Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. He was a 100-meter bronze medalist at the 1997 World Championships, then shared in the relay gold medal with the United States team at the 1999 World Championships. He also took Olympic gold at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

with the American relay team. He initially won a silver medal in the 100 meters at the 2001 World Championships, but this was nullified due to doping. His official personal best for the 100 meters stands at 9.92 seconds, making him a sub-10 second sprinter.

Career

Born in

Gaffney, South Carolina Gaffney is a city in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". The population was 12,539 at the 2010 census, with an estim ...

, Montgomery was initially a basketball and football player prior to trying out for track. Montgomery studied at Blinn College in

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, United States, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Washington County is known as the "Birthplace of Texas, ...

, and transferred to

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 a ...

in 1994. Located in the Hampton Roads area of the Virginia port city of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, 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 100 meters at the 1996 Summer Olympics, but he did compete in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

in the heats of the 4 × 100-meter 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, Montgomery came in sixth in the individual final, but did win a gold medal with the United States relay team. Montgomery did not qualify for the individual 100 meters at the 2000 Summer Olympics in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, though he again ran as an alternate in the heats of the relay event. In the final, the United States won the gold medal. Montgomery broke Greene's 100-meter world record by 0.01 seconds in September 2002. With a maximum-allowable tailwind of , Montgomery posted a time of 9.78 seconds. This record was later nullified because of doping.

Business

In 2014, Montgomery relocated to

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

to start a business focused on general athletic and sports training for youth and adults. The motto for the business is "Never Underestimate My Ability" as encoded into the business website nam
NUMA Speed
The motto is a reference to both the initial success, extensive life challenges and ultimate redemption reflected in his athletic and business timeline.

Steroid scandal

Montgomery did not qualify for the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, 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 The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

(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, obtained steroids and

human growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...

from

BALCO The Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) (1984–2003) was an American company led by founder and owner Victor Conte. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug sports scandal later re ...

, a laboratory near

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. The USADA sought a four-year suspension on Montgomery, who appealed to the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...

(CAS). On December 13, 2005, CAS found Montgomery guilty and imposed a two-year ban. On top of the ban, all of Montgomery's results and awards since March 31, 2001, including his former world record, were also stripped. After the ban was made public, Montgomery announced his retirement. The investigation also implicated his former partner Marion Jones, winner of the women's 100 meters at the 2000 Sydney Games. On November 24, 2008, Montgomery admitted to taking

testosterone Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondar ...

and human growth hormone before the Sydney Games 4 × 100-meter relay, in which he helped claim the gold medal. After the admission an

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

spokesperson said the committee would look into the matter as part of its open file on the BALCO investigation, but the United States team continues to be officially listed as the winner of the event and no action has been taken against teammates Jon Drummond,

Bernard Williams Sir Bernard Arthur Owen Williams, FBA (21 September 1929 – 10 June 2003) was an English moral philosopher. His publications include ''Problems of the Self'' (1973), ''Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy'' (1985), ''Shame and Necessity'' ...

, Brian Lewis, Maurice Greene, and

Kenny Brokenburr Kenneth "Kenny" 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 Brokenburr was born on October 29, 1968 in Winter Haven, ...

Money laundering charge

In April 2006, Montgomery was indicted and arrested on fraud charges for his alleged involvement in a

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...

scheme. He was accused of depositing three bogus checks totaling $775,000. Montgomery allegedly received $20,000 for his participation. His former coach,

Steve Riddick Steven Earl Riddick (born September 18, 1951) is an American athlete and winner of the gold medal in 4×100 meter relay at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Personal life Riddick was raised in Hampton, Virginia. His father was a Church of Christ mi ...

, was also a defendant in the case. Riddick served 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.

Heroin arrest

On May 1, 2008, an indictment was unsealed that accused Montgomery of dealing more than 100 grams of heroin in the Hampton Roads area over the previous year, according to ''

the Virginian-Pilot ''The Virginian-Pilot'' is the daily newspaper for Norfolk, Virginia. Commonly known as ''The Pilot'', it is Virginia's largest daily. It serves the five cities of South Hampton Roads as well as several smaller towns across southeast Virginia ...

'', the daily newspaper in Virginia Beach. Montgomery told the newspaper he knew nothing of the accusations and that his arrest was a "total surprise." In October 2008, Montgomery was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison.

Personal life

Montgomery has a daughter and son.Helene Elliott
'' Marion Jones Gives Birth to Boy''
latimes.com, June 30, 2003

References

External links

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Extensive overview article
from ESPN {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Tim 1975 births Living people People from Gaffney, South Carolina Track and field athletes from South Carolina American male sprinters African-American male track and field athletes Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists Junior college men's track and field athletes in the United States Doping cases in athletics American sportspeople in doping cases American money launderers Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Athletes stripped of World Athletics Championships medals Prisoners and detainees of Virginia 21st-century American criminals Criminals from South Carolina American people convicted of drug offenses World Athletics Championships winners Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople