Jones aims to get her third gold in long jump

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Sydney: US athletics queen Marion Jones goes for her third gold of the Sydney Games on Friday as she steps up the pace in her quest for a record-breaking five.

Jones, 24, must not only beat her rivals in the women's long jump but also the pressures unleashed by a drugs scandal involving her husband and US shotputter C J Hunter.

"To let one event in my life, as dramatic as it might be, ruin that would not be worth it," she said, after a convincing win in the women's 200 metres on Thursday.

Jones wants to go down in history as the first woman to win five gold medals at the same Games, but she knows the media is unlikely to let up on the fact that her husband tested positive for a performance-enhancing steroid 1,000 times above the permitted level. Hunter pulled out before the Sydney Games citing a knee injury.

Jones comfortably beat Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas and Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka in the 200 metres, clocking the fastest time in the world this year, 21.84 seconds.

She showed no sign of tension during the race and ran over to kiss her husband after crossing the line. "(The scandal) is something that could have easily swayed my focus but it didn't. I want to try to prove to myself that it is possible to walk away with five gold medals," she said.

"I feel relief and excitement. I'm happy that I have got my sprints done. Now I can really concentrate on challenges ahead."

Jones hopes to get gold in relays too

Jones also won the 100 metres. After Friday's long jump final, she is hoping for two more golds in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 metres relays.

On another day of showcase athletics action on Friday, Hicham El Guerrouj will seek to erase painful memories from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics by winning the 1,500 metres.

The Moroccan was approaching the bell four years ago when he grazed Algerian Noureddine Morceli's heel and crashed to the ground. Morceli stumbled but went on to win.

Guerrouj, 26, has won two world titles and holds the world records for the 1,500 and mile.



(c) Reuters Limited.