C. J. Hunter

Who is C. J. Hunter?

Cottrell J. Hunter, III is a former American shot putter and coach. He was the 1999 World Champion, but is perhaps best known for his involvement in the BALCO scandal and as the onetime spouse of sprinter Marion Jones. His personal best was 71' 9", thrown during a 2nd place finish in the 2000 US Olympic Trials. A month later he was tested positive for the performance enhancing steroid Nandrolone at the Bislett Games, which was revealed before he competed in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games. He had previously competed at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, finishing seventh

The 6'1", 330 lb Hunter was a three-time All-American at Penn State University, where he still holds the outdoor and indoor shot put record. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science there in 1991. Hunter first began throwing the shot after repeatedly failing to make the basketball team at Hyde Park, New York's Franklin D. Roosevelt Senior High School.

Hunter met Jones in 1998, while a coach with the University of North Carolina track team. He resigned his position there to conform with school rules that prohibited coach-athlete dating. They married on October 3, 1998, only to divorce in 2002 following the publicity surrounding the BALCO scandal. Hunter currently resides in Apex, North Carolina with his two children from a previous marriage, Ahny and Coryatt.