University of North Carolina Athletics
Marion Jones Wins 200 Heat
July 22, 2000 | Track & Field
July 22, 2000
By Bert Rosenthal
AP Track Writer
Marion Jones, who had not run a 200 since crumbling to the track with back spasms in the semifinals at the World Championships at Seville, Spain, last year, returned to the event by winning her opening-round heat in 22.62.
Jones, already the winner of the 100 and the long jump at the trials, looked smooth in her first 200 of the year while running into a headwind of nearly 3 mph. She coasted to victory, slowing only in the final 50 meters as instructed by coach Trevor Graham, in heading toward an apparent showdown against rival Inger Miller, winner of the world title in Jones' absence.
Miller, who has insisted she will thwart Jones' bid for a record five gold medals at the Olympics, won her heat at 23.15. Just like Greene and Johnson, Miller and Jones have shown little liking for each other. And just like Greene and Johnson, they will be alongside each other in the semifinals Sunday.
Jones said she hasn't engaged in any trash-talking with Miller, who has been the more vocal of the two.
"You never heard me say a bad thing about any other person and I'm going to continue to do that," Jones said. "Sometimes my name gets linked up in that. As far as all that trash-talking, people should just put up.
"What I like to do is run fast on the track. All the people that are talking I just want them to show up and give me a race. I'm tired of all this.
"I've never been one to trash-talk and I'm not going to start now. If you're going to talk, come out and be ready to run. That's all I'm asking."
In Saturday's finals, Angelo Taylor, the former NCAA champion from Georgia Tech, won the men's 400 hurdles at 47.62, the fastest time in the world this year, Nicole Gamble took the women's triple jump at 45 feet, 9ľ inches - 7˝ inches short of the Olympic "A" standard, and Tim Seaman won the men's 20-kilometer walk at 1:25:41.00, short of the Olympic "B" standard.
"I won't say I'll be the favorite (in the Olympics), but I ran the fastest time in the world this year - that should say something," Taylor said.
Gail Devers, the three-time world champion in the women's 100 hurdles and the 2000 world leader, won her opening-round heat in a sizzling 12.57, the fastest first-round heat ever by an American.
Devers, trying to atone for missing the team in the 100 and not getting an opportunity for a record third straight gold medal in that event, skimmed over the hurdles with flawless precision.
Allen Johnson, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion in the men's 110 hurdles, was among those qualifying for Sunday's final on the last day of the trials. Johnson eased through his heat in 13.42, finishing second to Dominque Arnold, the fastest qualifier at 13.36.
World champion Anthony Washington led the qualifiers for the discus final, throwing 219-7.
