Marion Jones - Reuters

bridgetown, (cmc)

Barbados' sole individual Olympic medallist Obadele Thompson will wed American five-time Olympic medal winner Marion Jones tomorrow in the United States.

Thompson and Jones are expected to exchange vows in a private ceremony in North Carolina, with only close friends and family members expected to be in attendance.

Jones vacationed in Barbados last February and was regularly seen in Thompson's company. Thompson is Jones' former training partner when both runners were coached by Dan Pfaff in Texas.

The 30-year-old Thompson soared to national prominence when he won bronze in the 100 metres at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, becoming Barbados' first individual medallist.

He returned to finish seventh in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, but his appearances on the international circuit since then have been limited by injury.

Jones, the former golden girl of American athletics, claimed gold medals in the 100, 200 metres and 4x400 metres relay at the Sydney Olympics, while taking bronze medals in the long jump and 4x100 metres.

The 32-year old's career took a turn for the worse, however, when she was repeatedly linked in the BALCO drugs scandal which gripped the sport two years ago. Though at the centre of the investigation by authorities, Jones has never tested positive for drugs and has continued to insist on her innocence. This will be Jones" second marriage after she divorced disgraced American shot putter CJ Hunter in 2001 after a near three-year marriage. Jones was also involved with American sprinter Tim Montgomery, a union that produced a son in 2003. Montgomery was banned from the sport in 2005 for using performance-enhancing drugs.