Former FDR High School shot put thrower and Olympian, C.J. Hunter, dies
C.J. Hunter, a former Franklin D. Roosevelt High School and Olympic shot put thrower, passed away this week.
A resident of Wake Forest, North Carolina, Hunter died on Sunday at the age of 52, according to his obituary. No cause of death was given.
Hunter was a standout football and track star for the Presidents in Hyde Park, and went on to win gold in the 1999 World Athletic Championships in Seville. Two years earlier, he had won bronze at the Games in Athens, and two years before that, took home gold at the Pan American Games.
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Hunter, who still holds the indoor and outdoor shot put records at Penn State, competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He finished seventh and was subsequently on track to compete in the 2000 Games in Sydney.
But, he infamously tested positive for performance enhancing drugs after the trials — part of what became known as the BALCO scandal.
Hunter was married to Marion Jones — a track and field athlete who was later stripped of her gold medals for PED use — from 1998-2002.
After his track and field career, Hunter became a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Colorado, the University of North Carolina and NC State University. He additionally coached high school and youth football teams.
Hunter is survived by his fiancé, Jodi Wells; two sons, Cory and Nico; a daughter, Ahny Hunter; his mother, Juanita Jacks Hunter; and a step-son, Anthony Stefanillo, among other family members.
A.J. Martelli: 845-437-4836, amartelli@poughkeepsiejournal.com, Twitter: @AJ_Martelli
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Former Franklin D. Roosevelt High School shot put thrower and Olympian, C.J. Hunter, dies
