Jones’ ‘high five’ goes down the pit

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Sydney: Marion Jones' Olympic dream of an unprecedented five gold medals in one Games vanished in the long jump pit on Friday when she managed only third place in the women's final.

Jones, who had already completed the 100-200 metres double, had planned to win a further gold in the long jump and then add two more in Saturday's two relays.

The 24-year-old American fouled her first, fourth, fifth and sixth jumps and her best of 6.92 metres was only good enough for the bronze medal. As the tension mounted over the six rounds, Jones jogged nervously in the field.

Before her final attempt she looked up at the sky, took two deep breaths and launched herself on to the runway. She soared near the seven-metre mark, looked back anxiously and grimaced as she saw the red flag go up for a fourth time.

The gold medal went to Germany's Heike Drechsler, who jumped 6.99, with Fiona May of Italy recording the same distance as Jones but getting the silver on count-back.

Drechsler, 36 in December, was the youngest World Champion at the first world championships in 1983. She beat Jones in the 1998 World Cup in Johannesburg, the only event the American lost that season.

Jones announced two years ago she would attempt to go one better than her compatriots Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis and win five golds in Sydney. She won the 100 metres final easily on Saturday but has subsequently had to endure extra and unwelcome pressure with the news on Monday that her husband C J Hunter, the world shot put champion, had tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone.

Jones completed the first two rounds of the 200 metres on Wednesday, qualified with one jump for the long jump final, and on Thursday raced to victory in the 200 final.

Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi won five gold medals at the 1924 Games in Paris but no woman has won more than the four claimed by Dutchwoman Fanny Blankers-Koen at the London Olympics in 1948.



(c) Reuters Limited.