Ron Rapoport: I first became aware of Marion when she was only 14 years old and a freshman in high school in Oxnard, Calif. She won the first two of her nine state high school track championships that year and was also one of the best basketball players in the state.

My joke is that there were only two seasons in high school sports back then: football and Marion Jones.

SportsJones: How is she different from other athletes you’ve known?

Rapoport: If I had to sum up Marion in one word it would be "driven." She just brings such an amazing intensity to everything she does. Her teammates, for instance, have learned to avoid her in practice when she has that "look" in her eyes. Then, all of a sudden she will lighten up and kid around with them.

Also, Marion has the ability to compartmentalize her life: when it's time to practice, she practices flat-out. When it's time to compete, that's all there is. When it's time to deal with the media, her entire attention goes in that direction. When it's time to make business decisions or cut commercials, that gets the priority.

She calls this quality "living in the moment."

SportsJones: What should we look for as Marion as lines up for the 100-meter dash?

Rapoport: Watch the intent look in her eyes. See how calm she appears, how confident, how unaware of anything that is going on around her. She will be deep within herself at that moment, concentrating only on the job at hand.

SportsJones: What insights can you give us into what Marion is thinking and feeling as she lines up for that event and the 200 meters?

Rapoport: She will be thinking about her technique. Running the sprints looks simple, but as she and her coach, Trevor Graham, explain in See How She Runs, it is amazingly complex from start to finish. There is just so much to remember and while it is all reflex during the race, she does go over it in her mind beforehand.

Despite the fact these are the races she's been waiting for all her life, I believe she will feel utterly confident as the time approaches. Remember, she hasn't lost a foot race since 1997.

SportsJones: How does Marion handle nerves?

Rapoport: She relies on the memory of all the races she has won, all the hard work she has put in during her practice session. Her belief in herself sees her through, I think. How she handles "Olympic" nerves, now that is a question I can hardly wait to have answered.

SportsJones: What are the biggest problems for Marion personally in the sprints?

Rapoport: The start. Marion is 5'10", quite tall for a world-champion sprinter, so sometimes it takes her longer to get out of the blocks than women with shorter legs. But her power and technique generally help her catch up and take the lead in a hurry.

And when she does get off to a good start, watch out. The U.S. track coaches in Sydney, some of whom are seeing her up close for the first time, say just watching her work out gives them goose pimples.

SportsJones: Who are her biggest rivals in the sprints?