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Thursday, September 28
Two down, three tough ones to go
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Two gold medals for Marion Jones. Two
kisses for C.J. Hunter. And one big surprise for Greece.
Jones raced to a lopsided victory in the women's 200 meters
Thursday, her second gold medal of the Sydney Games. Her quest is
to become the first woman to win five golds at a Summer Olympics.
|  | | Marion Jones' victory margin was the biggest since American Wilma Rudolph won by .45 in 1960. |
"I'm here for more than two gold medals, I'm here for five,"
she said. "In a certain way, I am checking them off the list."
With husband Hunter watching from the stands, Jones took an
early lead and then pulled away from the field to finish in 21.84
seconds. She won by nearly half a second in a race usually decided
by hundredths of seconds.
After winning by the biggest margin in 40 years, Jones took a
victory lap -- stopping to give her husband two kisses and a hug.
"Some of the words I'd use to describe it are relieved and
excited," Jones said. "I think I'm just overall happy that my
sprints are over."
In a shocking men's 200 final, Konstantinos Kenteris sped to
victory in 20.09 seconds. The Greek sprinter was rarely mentioned
among the prerace favorites, yet he held off Darren Campbell of
Britain for the gold medal.
Kenteris became the first Greek man to win an Olympic medal in a
running event since 1896. Last weekend, Greece's Ekaterini Thanou
got silver in the women's 100.
"I believed in myself from the start. People may be surprised,
but I came here to win," Kenteris said. "Greece has finally
arrived in athletics."
Campbell won silver in 20.14 seconds and Ato Boldon of Trinidad
& Tobago won bronze for the second consecutive Olympics. Boldon was
the silver medalist in the 100 last weekend.
Americans Coby Miller and John Capel finished seventh and eighth
in the final. Not counting the 1980 Moscow Games boycotted by the
United States, it was the first time since 1928 that Americans have
been shut out of the medals in the men's 200.
American favorites Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene were
injured in the 200-meter final at the U.S. trials and failed to
qualify.
Estonia's Erki Nool won the decathlon after American Chris
Huffins faded in the final event -- the 1,500 meters. Nool won the
gold with 8,641 points. Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic won
silver with 8,606 and Huffins won bronze with 8,595.
Huffins led throughout the two-day competition, but dropped two
places in the standings despite running his personal best by 13
seconds in the 1,500, his weakest event.
"For me to win an Olympic medal based on my 1,500 means more to
me than you'll ever be able to write about. That's the event that
has been my Waterloo for so many times in my career," Huffins
said. "And for it to come down to that, for me to dig deep inside
my soul and come up with that kind of performance, that is my
Olympic moment now and forever."
In the men's long jump, three-time world champion Ivan Pedroso
of Cuba won with a leap of 28 feet, ¾ inches (8.55 meters). Jai
Taurima of Australia won the silver and Roman Schurenko of Ukraine
the bronze.
Yanina Korolchik of Belarus won the women's shot put with a best
of 67 feet, 5½ inches (20.56 meters). Larisa Peleshenko of Russia,
who returned from a four-year drug suspension last year, won the
silver. Astrid Kumbernuss of Germany, the Olympic champion in 1996,
took the bronze.
In the women's 200, Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas was
second in 22.27 and Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka, who tested
positive for drugs two years ago but later was cleared, won the
bronze medal in 22.28.
Giorgio Reineri, spokesman for the International Amateur
Athletic Federation, said Jayasinghe tested positive for
testosterone and was suspended -- but had the ban lifted because of
questions surrounding the test.
Jones' victory margin of 43 hundredths of a second was the
biggest since American Wilma Rudolph won by .45 at the 1960 Rome
Olympics.
Cathy Freeman, winner of the 400-meter gold medal earlier this
week, was seventh.
Jones' next competition is the long jump, her weakest individual
event. Then it's on to the relays, in which the American teams are
vulnerable.
"Now I can really focus on the big challenge ahead, and that's
my jumping tomorrow," she said. "I don't think anybody doubted me
in the sprints. But my real test will come tomorrow. I'm going to
have to dig down deep tomorrow. And I'm ready for that."
The United States has dominated in the 400-meter relay, winning
the last four Olympic golds. But two Americans are injured and the
squad could be vulnerable to a team such as Jamaica -- which had two
finalists in the women's 100.
In the 1,600-meter relay, the Americans will have to beat an
Australian squad anchored by Freeman.
The victory capped a difficult few days for Jones, who on
Tuesday stood at Hunter's side shortly before answering questions
about four positive drug tests this summer. Hunter, the reigning
world champion shot putter, is not competing in Sydney.
Hunter said the biggest challenge for his wife has been
competing in both the 200 and the long jump the past two days.
"It was a great race. I'm very happy," Hunter said. "It's a
tough schedule. It's not the race, it's the way they had it set
up."
Marla Runyan, the first U.S. paralympian to reach the Olympics,
continued her amazing odyssey by qualifying for the final of the
women's 1,500 meters. Runyan, who is legally blind, was joined in
the final Saturday by Suzy Favor Hamilton.
No American woman has won an Olympic medal at 1,500 meters.
Also Thursday, all three American women -- Karol Damon, Erin
Aldrich and Amy Acuff -- were eliminated in the qualifying round of
the high jump.
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ALSO SEE
Track and field results
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Devers walks off track with hamstring tear
Jones returns to the track seemingly without a worry in the world
Johnson loves making history, and he made some more
Freeman carries hopes of a nation to victory
Johnson doesn't win heat, but still makes 400 final
On a fine line, walker disqualified for running
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