The sentence completed a fall from grace as stunning as her ascent as one of the world's most-celebrated athletes.

US District Court Judge Kenneth Karas said he had considered probation or home detention for Jones, who has two sons and has been publicly repentant.

He ordered her to serve 400 hours of community service for each of the two years of probation. Her service should be with children and emphasise the need to tell the truth, the judge said.

Jones voluntarily gave up her five Olympic medals in December, after confessing in court in October to using banned drugs.

But the judge decided that her sentence must send a pointed message: 'There is a very strong argument that incarceration may make others think twice, and show that no one is above the legal obligation to tell the truth.'

Karas asked lawyers last week if he could go beyond the recommended six-month sentence negotiated in a plea deal, because the charges stemmed from perjury in two separate federal investigations. But they advised him against it.

She falsely denied involvement in a cheque-fraud scheme orchestrated by her former husband Tim Montgomery, who has already been convicted.

Addressing the court before the sentencing, Jones stood with her head bowed and tears streaking her face.

The posture darkly echoed her stance on the Olympic dais in the 2000 Sydney Games, in which she won three gold medals and two bronzes.

'I absolutely realise the gravity of the offences I've committed, and I am deeply sorry,' she said.

She began to cry as she pleaded with the judge to not separate her from her four-year-old son and seven-month-old baby.

Jones, who is now married to sprinter Obadele Thompson and goes by the name Jones-Thompson, embraced her husband after the sentencing, weeping.

They held hands as she walked out of the courtroom, her eyes still glistening.

'As everyone can imagine, I'm very disappointed today,' Jones told reporters outside the courthouse in the rain.

'But, as I stood in front of all of you for years in victory, I stand in front of you today. I stand for what is right.

'I respect the judge's order, and I truly hope that people will learn from my mistakes.'

The International Olympic Committee and the track federation erased all her results dating back to Sept 1, 2000.

The millions she made in prize money and product endorsements are now gone, and Karas said he would not fine Jones because she is not able to pay.

Los Angeles Times , Bloomberg