View source for C. J. Hunter

{{Short description|American shot putter (1968–2021)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = C. J. Hunter
| image = 
| caption = 
| fullname = Cottrell James Hunter III
| birth_date = {{birth date|1968|12|14|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|11|28|1968|12|14}}
| headercolor = lightsteelblue
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|Athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1999 World Championships in Athletics|1999 Sevilla]]|Shot Put}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 Athens]]|Shot Put}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1995 Pan American Games|1995 Mar del Plata]] | [[Athletics at the 1995 Pan American Games|Shot Put]]}}
}}

'''Cottrell James Hunter III''' (December 14, 1968 – November 28, 2021) was an American [[shot put]]ter, coach, and the 1999 [[World Champions in athletics (men)|World Champion]].

Hunter is well known for his involvement in the [[Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative|BALCO scandal]] and as the former spouse of [[Sprint (running)|sprinter]] [[Marion Jones]].

==Biography==
===College career===
The 6'1", 330&nbsp;lb Hunter was a three-time [[All-America]]n 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 [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in [[political science]] in 1991. Hunter first began throwing the shot after failing to make the [[basketball]] team at [[Hyde Park, New York]]'s [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School (Hyde Park, New York)|Franklin D. Roosevelt Senior High School]].

===Olympics and failed drug test===
Hunter competed at the [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Summer Olympics]], finishing seventh.<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/hu/c-j-hunter-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418033408/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/hu/c-j-hunter-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-18}}</ref> Hunter's personal best throw was 71' 9", (21.87&nbsp;m) thrown during a 2nd-place finish in the 2000 [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|US Olympic Trials]].

Hunter tested positive for the performance-enhancing steroid [[Nandrolone]] at the [[Bislett Games]], which was revealed before he was scheduled to compete in the [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Summer Olympics]]. Hunter was dropped from the team as a result.<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-122136808.html Phil Hersh, Chicago Tribune article]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121102190150/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-65454585.html Sydney Gazette]</ref>

===Personal life===
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 at Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]] track team. He was forced to resign from his position after refusing to conform with school rules that prohibited coach-athlete dating. They married on October 3, 1998, and [[divorce]]d in 2002 following the [[BALCO scandal]].

Hunter resided in [[Holly Springs, North Carolina]] with his son Nico from his third marriage.

Hunter died on November 28, 2021, at the age of 52.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theindianpaper.com/blog/athletics-shot-putter-cj-hunter-marion-jones-ex-husband-has-died/ |title=Athletics: Shot putter CJ Hunter, Marion Jones' ex-husband, has died |access-date=2021-11-30 |archive-date=2021-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130212846/https://www.theindianpaper.com/blog/athletics-shot-putter-cj-hunter-marion-jones-ex-husband-has-died/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Le lanceur de poids américain CJ Hunter est mort|url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Athletisme/Actualites/Le-lanceur-de-poids-americain-cj-hunter-est-mort/1302169|access-date=2021-11-30|website=L'Équipe|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2021/12/02/cj-hunter-dies-shot-put/|title=Shot putter C.J. Hunter dies at 52|date=2 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/23264215/cottrell-cj-hunter-iii/wake-forest/north-carolina/bright-funeral-home|title=Cottrell "CJ" Hunter, III Obituary}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians]]
*[[List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.legacy.usatf.org/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/2000/hunter.html C. J. Hunter biography] at [[USA Track & Field]]
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=302 C. J. Hunter photo, biography & stats] at sporting-heroes.net
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927174809/http://www.blackathlete.com/Track%26Field/index.shtml "It's been going on for a long, long time"], Black Athlete Sports Network, August 28, 2004

{{Footer World Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions Shot Put Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1996 Summer Olympics}}
{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's shot put}}
{{Footer US NC shot put Men}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, C.J.}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American track and field athletes]]
[[Category:American track and field coaches]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Doping cases in athletics]]
[[Category:NC State Wolfpack football coaches]]
[[Category:Olympic track and field athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania State University alumni]]
[[Category:Sports coaches from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:American male shot putters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1991 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:People from Apex, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Wake County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:People from Holly Springs, North Carolina]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:Penn State Nittany Lions men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]