EUGENE, Oregon, June 17 (AFP) - Sprint star Marion Jones will try to tune up for the US Olympic trials and tune out her battle with US anti-doping authoritiesSaturday as she competes in two events at thePrefontaine Classic grand prix athletics meeting.
Also slated to compete is Jones’ companion TimMontgomery, the 100m world record-holder who is fightinghis own battle over charges of doping based on evidencegleaned from the BALCO criminal steroid distributioncase.
Montgomery is scheduled to race in a star-studdedmen’s 100m. The field also includes Maurice Greene, whoreturns to the Prefontaine for the first time since2001.
Greene is enjoying his finest season since then, withtwo of the three fastest wind-legal times and the twofastest wind-aided times in the world this year.
The race promises to be a preview of the Olympictrials - which will be held July 9-18 in Sacramento,California - with the field including 2003 world indoorchampion Justin Gatlin, 2003 No. 1 world-ranked JohnCapel, defending US champion Bernard Williams, and 2004world indoor runner-up Shawn Crawford.
As she did at the Home Depot Invitational in Carson,California, on May 22, two-time world 100m champion anddefending Olympic 100 and 200 gold medallist Jones willcompete in the womens 100m as well as the long jump.
She will face new competition in the sprint, however,as two-time Olympic gold medallist Gail Devers runs inher first 100m of the outdoor season. The 37-year-old showed her speed is still sharp when she wonthe 2004 world indoor 60m title in March.
But since May Jones has become further embroiled inthe doping controversy spawned by the indictment ofBALCO founder Victor Conte and three other men fordistributing performance enhancing drugs to eliteathletes.
This week, Jones blasted the US Anti-Doping Agency forfailing to either clear her name or produce evidence toprove her guilt.
As US athletics hurtles toward its trials under theshadow of the scandal, its stars must try to focus onthe demands of the track.
Four-time world champion and 1996 Olympic goldmedallist Allen Johnson has his eyes on Olympic goldonce again, and he owns three of the top four 110mhurdles times in the world this year. But Larry Wade isright behind him with a 2004 best of 13.13.
Twelve consecutive wins, including the 2004 worldindoor title, have made Christian Cantwell the man tobeat in the shot put. The 2004 world leader with a throwof 22.54m at the adidas Oregon Track Classic June 5,Cantwell will have to surpass Olympic silver medallistand two-time world outdoor runner-up Adam Nelson, aswell as 2004 world indoor silver medallist Reese Hoffa,here.
Other US stars preparing for the fiercly competitivetrials include pole vaulter Stacy Dragila andmiddle-distance runner Alan Webb, while internationalstars such as Maria Mutola of Mozambique, Britain’sKelly Holmes, Canada’s Perdita Felicien and Kenyan LabanRotich continue their Olympic preparations in Eugene.