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By Susan Wessling
If ever a sport needed a serious boost in the United States, it's track and field, which has struggled to find its identity in this country. With her enthusiasm for the sport and her amazing athletic ability, Jones put track and field in the forefront in 2000. Jones is one of the most recognizable faces in sports today. Going into the Olympics, the American superstar was featured in a number of different commercials - including a spot for GMC Envoy, a series of five ads for Nike and an NBC Olympic promo. She was a media darling, popping up on talk shows and meeting the press regularly. But, Jones didn't go to Sydney to compete in five events. She had said she wanted gold in all five, a feat no women before her has ever achieved. She walked away with three gold medals and two bronze, as the most decorated female track and field athlete ever at a single Olympics. Jones did express some disappointment in not living up to her goal. "I wanted to win them all, without a doubt," she said at a press conference at the Olympic Games. "I still think it is possible. But I didn't do it and I am not going to dwell on it." Jones took her first gold in the 100 meters. She utterly dominated the event, beating the field by an astonishing .37 seconds, running 10.75 to 11.12 for second-place finisher Ekaterini Thanou of Greece. Jones' time was the second-fastest in Olympic history, behind Florence Griffith Joyner's 1988 time of 10.62 seconds. Jones was emotional after winning her first Olympic championship. "I've dreamed about this for 19 years," she said in a press conference after the event. "It's here and it's just ... (tears up) ... it's just really incredible. "It was an incredible experience. It was everything that I dreamed of and more. In my apartment, watching the Olympic Games this last week, I vowed that when I crossed the line, I was going to keep my cool. As soon as I crossed the line (in the final), that was out the window. When I crossed the line, joy is a word I can use. Then I looked over and saw my family, and I pretty much lost it. They're the ones who've always been supporting me." Jones also won gold in the 200 meters and ran the third leg on the winning 4 by 400-meter relay team at the Games. Both performances were stellar. Go To Page: 1 2 |
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