WHITE PLAINS (New York): Former 100-metre record holder Tim Montgomery’s once-celebrated life continued its long downward spiral on Friday when a judge sentenced the former Olympic champion to nearly four years in prison for dealing in fraudulent checks.

The judge also warned Montgomery, 33, that the evidence against him “does not appear to be flimsy” in an ongoing case in the state of Virginia, where he is accused of selling heroin. A conviction there would carry a minimum mandatory five-year sentence.

Montgomery, wearing a white T-shirt and baggy pants, lamented the turns his life has taken as he asked US District Court Judge Kenneth Karas for leniency just before the 46-month sentence was imposed.—AP