"Every day I was closer to death" - Former world's fastest man Tim Montgomery opens up on life after doping scandals

By Muskan Sharma

Modified Jul 26, 2024 22:20 GMT

Former track and field athlete Tim Montgomery recently opened up about his life after experiencing prison, among other things. The 49-year-old is currently steering his career towards coaching through his company, NUMA Speed.

A South Carolina native, Montgomery is a two-time Olympic medalist in the 4x100m relay, securing silver in 1996 and gold in 2000. His World Championship record includes gold in 1999 and bronze in 1997, both in the same event. In fact, Montgomery held the title of the world’s fastest man in 2002, clocking a world record time of 9.78 seconds in the 100m at the IAAF Grand Prix Final in Paris.

However, in 2005, his 100m world record was stripped after he was found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs in the BALCO scandal. He received a two-year ban, following which he announced his retirement. Three years later, Montgomery faced more trouble as he was sentenced for a check fraud scheme, money laundering, and heroin distribution.

Montgomery, now attempting to restart his life as a coach, recently appeared in an interview with The Daily Mail in which he opened up about different aspects of his journey. When asked about his life before and after serving his time in prison, the former athlete stated:

“Looking back, I don't miss anything."

Montgomery revealed that none of his close associates stood with him when he was dealing with allegations.

“Every day I was closer to death… it felt good at the time.' But? 'It was absolutely nothing. Because all of the (people) I had fun with… when I went to prison, none of them was there,” he said.

He also said that his career trajectory could have been different had certain things not happened.

"I cannot go back and see how great I could have been. But had I not gone through that, this might have been a different story," he added.

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Tim Montgomery admitted to taking PEDs before the 2001 Sydney Olympic Games

Tim Montgomery at the 2002 IAAF Grand-Prix Final in Paris (Image via Getty)

Tim Montgomery was at the top of his career after winning gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. But disaster struck just five years after he peaked in his career.

In 2004, Tim Montgomery failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics. Prior to the trials, the athlete was charged with using illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

Although Montgomery never tested positive for consuming PEDs, he testified that he, along with several other athletes, was involved in using steroids and human growth hormones from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO). Following this, he was slapped with a four-year suspension by the USADA. In 2005, the Court of Arbitration imposed a two-year ban on him after he was found guilty. Montgomery announced his retirement as soon as news of the ban was made public.

In 2008, he admitted to taking PEDs before the Sydney Olympics. The athlete revealed that he consumed testosterone and human growth hormone for 17 straight months, dating from February 2000 to June 2001.