Continuing the long tradition of revered Olympians who seem to spend more time on the tabloid stands than on the medal stands, Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou is now suing the International Olympic Committee for failing to pass her a gold medal won by disgraced athlete Marion Jones in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Thanou won the silver medal in the 100 meters at Sydney, finishing second behind Jones—who was later stripped of the gold after confessing to using steroids. Despite Thanou’s repeated requests, the Committee has still not handed over the gold medal she believes is rightfully hers. One possible reason: Soon after winning the silver, Thanou herself was busted for juicing and was banned from competition for two years.
Thanou returned to international competition in 2007 and has qualified for the Beijing Games, although an Olympic Disciplinary Committee still must meet to determine her eligibility to compete. We certainly can’t predict how the Committee will rule, but we can confidently say that Thanou would be wise to remember, like any athlete seeking Olympic glory: If at first you don’t succeed…well, maybe just stop trying in this case, actually. Sorry. It’s just that whole steroid thing. Olympic Committees apparently have a hard time getting over that one. [Sports Illustrated]