Jones
loses plot for first time since 1997
Adrian Warner (Reuters)
7 August 2001 - Edmonton - Marion Jones, accustomed to playing the leading lady
of athletics, fluffed her lines for the first time in four years in the world
100 metres final on Monday as Ukraine’s Zhanna Pintusevich-Block grabbed centre
stage.
The triple Olympic champion has dominated sprinting since 1997, winning 42 consecutive finals.
Organisers of the world championships presented her with the perfect stage on which to deliver another glowing performance on her own, breaking with tradition by staging the women’s final 24 hours after the men’s 100 won by fellow-American Maurice Greene.
But Pintusevich-Block stole the show. She shot out of her blocks faster than the American and dominated the race from start to finish to win in a personal best of 10.82 seconds.
Jones, who lunged at the line in a last-ditch effort to win the race, clocked 10.85 in second place in her first defeat in a final since she lost to Jamaican Merlene Ottey in September 1997, the year she won her first world title.
Jones, the second fastest sprinter in history, won last year’s Sydney Olympics by four metres, the widest margin of victory in the event. Her defeat was the biggest upset so far at the Edmonton championships.
“Her mechanics didn’t hold up like they should,” her coach Trevor Graham said. “She got out well but on her second step she did not execute well. Zhanna got away but, in the past, Marion could have still run her down.
“I really don’t know why she couldn’t today. She said she was a bit flat all day. She didn’t run a very technical race like she has. Zhanna raced a very good race.”
Jones, whom Graham confirmed would also be competing in the U.S. 4x100 relay team as well as the individual 200 metres, was gracious in defeat, paying tribute to her Ukrainian rival.
“People get beaten sometimes,” she said. “She deserved it today. She has put in the hard work and ran a wonderful race.”
But the defeat clearly annoyed her and will provide extra motivation for the 200.
“It is the sign of a true champion when you come back from such a defeat, put it together and get tough again,” Jones said. “This is going to give me plenty of motivation for the 200.” Pintusevich-Block, now based in the U.S. after marrying her American agent Mark Block, won the 200 metres title at the Athens world championships in 1997 but Monday’s triumph was her first global title in the most prestigious sprint event.
In Athens she was second to Jones by just 0.02 seconds in the 100. Immediately after the race the Ukrainian thought she had won and even started a lap of honour, only to sink to her knees when she heard the official result.
On Monday she fell to her knees on the track again. This time she knew she had won but was finding it hard to believe.
Last year Pintusevich-Block finished out of the medals at the Sydney Olympics with fifth place in the 100 and eighth in the 200.
“I almost won in 1997,” she said. “I still remember that. I’ll always remember how I felt then. My dream has finally come true.”
“I couldn’t believe I did it. To win the 100 is not the same as the 200. For me, the 100 is the number one event.”
She added: “My Olympic year was horrible. I expected a medal. I was so disappointed and it took me a while to recover mentally.”
