Marion Jones made a resounding return to form on the long jump runway last night at the US Olympic trials in Sacramento, California, to finally book her ticket to the Games in Athens next month.
Despite not being charged, Jones' performances have suffered in the wake of the BALCO scandal and accusations she has taken prohibited substances.
The double Olympic sprint champion and long jump bronze medallist in 2000 needed to qualify in the latter event given her failure to make the team in the 100 metres finals last Saturday and her poor form this year in the 200, for which the heats start today.
A less than convincing performance in Monday's long jump qualifying round, where she qualified seventh of 12 and failed to reach the automatic qualifying mark of 6.40m, intensified the pressure despite the fact Jones and Grace Upshaw were the only two competitors to have reached the Olympic A standard.
She stamped her authority on the event, producing a leap of 6.80m to take control of the final but then pulled out a 7.11m jump with her second attempt to gain an unassailable lead.
It was a stadium record at the California State University, Sacramento, the second longest jump in the world this year behind Jamaica's Elva Goulbourne's 7.16m, and the farthest Jones had jumped since hitting the 7.31m mark in 1998.
Jones did not speak directly to reporters, with whom she has had a frosty relationship at these trials, but in a stadium interview from the podium she told the Sacramento crowd: "I think I had a little bit of motivation. It feels really good; I had fun out there."
Jones added: "A lot of people told me to have fun out there," before tailing off, and leaving the podium.
Upshaw was second with 6.83m while Akiba McKinney (6.57m) was third and has until August 9th to achieve the A mark and confirm her place for Athens.
PA