Marion Jones won five Olympic Gold Medal at the 2000 Games in Sydney. About a year ago, Jones admitted to using steroids during that time (for which she was stripped of her medals) and to lying to Federal prosecutors (for which she was sentenced and served six months in prison). She was released from prison on September 5, 2008. Yesterday, she appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

If you didn’t see the show, the reviews are mixed about her “performance.” Some say Oprah was too easy on her. Some say that she is still lying and deluding herself about her role in the 2000 doping scandal. I think that she’s probably gone through enough and we should give her the benefit of the doubt.

When Oprah asked her about her prison time, she replied:

“There were moments, Oprah, where I felt like my world was over. I wasn’t with my family. I wasn’t with my kids. I had made such a huge mistake, let so many people down, disappointed myself,” she says. “And there were remarkably days where I just felt empowered almost. It’s almost like I got this renewed energy where I felt that, ‘I’m here for a reason.’ The searching for that reason, I think, is what really changed my life.”

Jones still has to serve two years probation and to complete 800 hours of community service. She will have to disclose that she’s a convicted felon for the rest of her life.

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Marion Jones on Oprah

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David Cook Sings “Time of My Life” on Oprah

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Michael Phelps and Mom, Debbie on Oprah

When Oprah Winfrey calls; people listen…including more than 175 US medalists from the 2008 Beijing Games. They will be the subject of her season premiere which airs on Monday, September 8. It promises to be a good show. Among those featured are Michael Phelps, Dara Torres (pictured with Oprah above), Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, and members of the “Redeem Team” basketball roster. Below is the trailer for the show:

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Get Psyched for Oprah’s Olympic Show

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Oprah Hosts Olympians

What do all championship athletes do after the big game, big meet, big match? Why, they go to Disney World, of course! And Michael Phelps is no exception. The winner of eight Gold Medals for swimming in the Beijing Games joined Mickey Mouse on Wednesday for a ride down Main Street in a red convertible, to the delight of cheering fans. Below is a video of the welcome parade.

Phelps-mania shows no sign of abating soon. The 23-year-old will appear on Oprah Winfrey’s season debut, which tapes next week, with 149 other US Olympians and he’s scheduled to play himself in an upcoming episode of HBO’s series “Entourage.”

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Michael Phelps Goes to Disney World