C. J. Hunter

Cottrell James Hunter III (December 14, 1968 – November 28, 2021) was an 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", (21.87 m) 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 had been scheduled to compete in the 2000 Summer Olympics.[1][2] He had previously competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, finishing seventh.[3]

C. J. Hunter

Personal information
Full name	Cottrell James Hunter III
Born	(1968-12-14)December 14, 1968 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	November 28, 2021(2021-11-28) (aged 52)
Medal record Men's Athletics Representing the  United States World Championships 1999 Sevilla Shot Put 1997 Athens Shot Put Pan American Games 1995 Mar del Plata Shot Put

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 (65'5" and 64'4½", or 19.93 m and 19.62 m respectively). He earned his B.A. 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 first met Marion Jones when she was 16. They reconnected in 1995 when he was hired as a coach with the University of North Carolina track team. He was forced to resign from his position after repeatedly refusing 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 resided in Holly Springs, North Carolina with his son from his third marriage, Nicko. He died on November 28, 2021, at the age of 52.[4][5][6][7]