ATHLETICS/United States Olympic trials: Marion Jones qualified for the Olympics in Athens next month after producing her best performance in the long jump for six years at the United States Olympic trials in Sacramento.
But again events in the arena were overshadowed by scandal as America's drugs crisis deepened. This time it was not Jones under the spotlight but Larry Wade, one of the favourites to win a gold medal in the 110 metres hurdles in Athens, who has allegedly tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.
Wade, 29, belongs to the same management group, HSInternational, as the sprinter Torri Edwards, who tested positive for a banned stimulant at an April 24th meeting in Martinique, a fact that emerged only on Thursday.
Wade finished fourth in the world championships in Paris last year and is ranked third in the world this year behind his US team-mate Allen Johnson and China's Xiang Lu. Wade faces a ban of at least two years if he is found guilty but that could be extended to life under the new "zero tolerance" policy adopted by USA Track & Field.
At least Jones looked like her old self as she leapt 7.11 metres, the second-farthest in the world this year and her best since 1998. Subject to legal wranglings, it guaranteed her a place on the United States team after she had missed out on selection for the Olympic 100 metres when finishing only fifth in the trial.
Her place in the long jump, in which she had finished third in Sydney four years ago, also looked under threat after she had been only seventh-best of the qualifiers in the preliminary round on Monday.
But Jones, on her second jump, bounded out to her best since winning the IAAF grand prix final in 1998 and no one came within 28 centimetres of the performance.
Jones again did not speak to the media. She has been under scrutiny by the US Anti-Doping Agency for most of the year although she has never failed a doping test.
But she did speak to the public-address announcer.
"I think I had just a little bit of motivation. It feels really good. I had fun out there," Jones said.
Meanwhile, Jones is not after all without hope of defending her 100 metres title in Athens, despite her flop in the trials.
Jones was fifth in last weekend's final, behind winner LaTasha Colander, Edwards and Lauryn Williams, while Gail Devers was fourth.
If, however, Edwards, is banned after news of her positive test for the stimulant nikethamide and if her ban begins ahead of the Olympics, Gail Devers, would be first replacement. But the 37-year-old might forgo the 100 metres to concentrate on her preferred event, the 100 metres hurdles. No Edwards and no Devers would see Jones into the team.
Wade, meanwhile, may argue he ingested the banned steroid unwittingly in a dietary supplement, a defence used successfully by the British tennis player Greg Rusedski recently.
