RALEIGH, North Carolina, 15 April 2004 — Triple Olympic champion Marion Jones plans to start her outdoor season with a race over 200 meters on Sunday instead of her usual 400.
In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Jones said she would compete in a 200 at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, California.
“I just felt the need to work on speed,” Jones said. “I’m coming back from a year off. I have a need to work on my speed so I am going to run a 200 meters.”
The race will be her first outdoors since winning the 100 meters at the World Cup team competition in Madrid in September 2002.
She took last year off for the birth of her son, Monty.
Jones, 28, who has raced twice indoors over 60 meters and long jumped once, has set her sights on making the US team for the 100, 200 and long jump. She will then decide if she will race in either or both the 4x100 and 4x400 meters relays at the Athens Olympics opening on Aug. 13.
Four years ago, Jones attempted all five events at the Sydney Olympics, aiming to go one better than fellow-Americans Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis. She finished with gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4x400 relay and bronzes in the long jump and 4x100 relay.
Jones said her major emphasis leading up to the US trials in Sacramento, California, in July would be on the long jump.
“I just feel like that’s the one event I really need to be in the most competitions,” Jones said. “So this year I will jump more than I have ever have in my career.
“Looking at my schedule, I see five long jump competitions before the trials.”
