|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Even
more impressive, the first time she was in a Long Jump competition she
broke her school's record by jumping 20 meters. She went on to win nine
California track titles and was a two-time winner of the Gatorade National
High School Athletic of the Year award. When she was a junior in High
school she came in fourth at the Olympic Trials in New Orleans and set
yet another record for being the fastest junior with 28.58 seconds.
From there she would have been able to go to the games as a member on
the 4x100 relay team, but in the end declined. "I wanted my first Olympic
medal to be something that I earned," Jones explained on her decision
not to go to the games. "I would have gone to the games, and won the
goldÉI wanted my first medal to be something I had run for and sweated
for." In 1997 she returned to track and field. That year, she won the world championships in 100m and helped her U.S. relay team win a championship, as well as set a new American relay record for 41.47 seconds. In 1998, she married C.J. Hunter who would go on to win the shot put world championships that same year. For Marion Jones 1998 would bring her share of difficulties. After winning the 100 meters world championships and the bronze in Long jump, she would also suffer from a back injury. The back injury would cause her not to compete in anything for the rest of the year. However, for the Sidney 2000 Olympics she would be back in the training and ready to take on her competition. Marion brought home three gold medals and two bronze medals, overall being the first woman to bring home five medals from the Olympic games. Today, due to her hard work and dedication, Marion Jones is consider to be the fastest woman in the world. |
|
|| Home | Archives | WYP | Staff|| Back to the top
|
Marion
Jones is one of the world's most celebrated track stars. The Track and
Field News named her Woman Athlete of the Year in 1997 and 1998 and
she received the Jesse Owens Award in 1998. At 25 years old, Marion
Jones has made a big name for herself as well as for Olympic History.
In the 2000 Olympic games in Sidney she won 5 medals. This five feet
ten inches sprinter's road to fame started on Oct 25, 1975. Marion grew
up in Los Angeles with her brother Albert, and describes herself as
a tomboy because of him. "He instilled that competitive nature that
I still have today." Later on in her life, Marion's mother would place
her in athletic programs. In high school, at Rio Mesa High in Oxnard,
California, she would join the track and field and the Girls Basketball
teams. It seems, even then, Marion was destined to break records and
win championships. In her sophomore year she helped her basketball team
win a national championship.
