US drugs lab boss breaks his silence

"She was wearing stretch bicycle shorts, and she pulled up the spandex above her right thigh. She dialed up the cartridge injector to deliver 4.5 units of growth hormone. I was sitting about a foot away from her as she injected the growth hormone into her leg.

"I know that she was tested many, many times from the timeframe that I worked with her . . . and she obviously passed all those drug tests, including the ones at the Olympic Games," he said. "So as I told you earlier . . . it's like taking candy from a baby."

Conte's remarks are similar to claims made in July by Jones's ex-husband, the former World shot-putt champion CJ Hunter.

He claimed, that in the run-up to the Sydney Games, he saw his then wife inject herself with banned drugs.

Jones, who is under investigation for steroid use by the US Anti-Doping Agency, vehemently denies using drugs and passed a lie detector test arranged by her attorneys in June.

She competed in the Athens Olympics in August but failed to win a medal.

"Conte's statements have been wildly contradictory, while Marion Jones has steadfastly maintained her position throughout: she has never, ever used performance-enhancing drugs," said her attorney, Rich Nichols.

"Conte is simply not credible. We challenge him to submit to the same lie detector procedure that Marion Jones passed."

Conte also alleges that a new drug he describes as "the clear III" is already being used without detection by top athletes.

Today's allegations come as it was reported that top baseball stars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, told a federal grand jury investigation in 2003 that they used drugs supplied by Conte.