Conte made the claims about Jones – who won three gold medals and two bronzes in Sydney – in a TV programme aired in the States and she is now claiming he has tarnished her reputation, according to BBC Sport.

Her lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in San Francisco, said the sprinter had passed a lie detector test and insisted Jones “has never taken banned performance-enhancing drugs”, describing Conte’s allegations as “false and malicious”.

Conte and three others were charged with illegally distributing steroids and money laundering and are likely to face a trial in March.

Following Conte’s appearance on the 20-20 programme Jones’ lawyer Richard Nicholls responded by vehemently denying the sprinter had taken any banned substances and instead questioned Conte’s credibility.

He said: “Victor Conte is a man facing a 42-count federal indictment, while Marion Jones is one of America’s most decorated female athletes. Mr Conte’s statements have been wildly contradictory.”

Jones is under investigation for steroid use by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after finding herself embroiled in the federal investigation into BALCO.

However, she has consistently denied ever taking illegal substances – although she has praised a zinc supplement marketed by Conte.

The fact she has never failed a drugs test is no longer a fail-safe defence.

Michelle Collins was last week handed an eight-year ban without testing positive.

Jones’ partner Tim Montgomery, the 100m world record holder, and Chryste Gaines face lifetime bans after being charged because of information gleaned from materials taken in raids on BALCO rather than positive dope tests.