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 The Daily Online Sports Magazine Marion Jones: In Progress PART 2 SportsJones Magazine September 25, 2000 Click here to see Part 1 (Sept. 21)
Ron Rapoport: It was great watching not only Marion winning her first gold medal, but also two days of the Olympics live from Sydney. I know NBC has to look at the bottom line, but why do we watch sports if not to find out who won? Also, I was amazed to see how much NBC edited its coverage of the events. Marion's victory lap, so exciting on Canadian television, was cut out altogether and the long moments she stood on the victory stand examining the medal hanging around her neck were cut way down. Watching Canadian TV, you had a sense of the real time in which things were occurring. NBC edited and shaped it to fit its own requirements, not those of a sports fan. SportsJones: Marion ran several heats of the 100 meters, a race which seems to require all-out effort, at least in the finals. But she needs to be healthy and energetic for her drive for five golds. Do you think she held something back, maybe even in the finals of the 100? Or is it too risky and too much against Marion's nature to go anything less than full out? If she did go all out, did she do so in spite of her goals, or did she do so with the knowledge that she can recover? Rapoport: She let it rip in the final, no question. I thought her time in the second round the day before the final, 10.83, was the key race. It was clear she could turn it on and off when she wanted to. And in the final, she turned it on. With four days of rest before her next competition there was no reason not to go all out. SportsJones: The 200 meters is a difficult event – a long sprint with a staggered start and a turn. How does Marion attack it? Does she have a favorite lane? Rapoport: The 200 is Marion's favorite race because the start isn't so critically important as in the 100. Also, with the staggered start, she can see herself overcoming the runners in front of her, which she really enjoys. Since returning to the track in 1997 [from basketball], she has never lost a 200. She likes one of the middle lanes so she can be aware of what's going on around her. SportsJones: Marion's attempt to win five gold medals in five separate events is seen by some as egotistical. Is it selfish for her to attempt this? Does it adversely affect her teammates or require them to sacrifice in any way? What would you say motivates her? Rapoport: Good questions. Remember, she was No. 1 in the world in the 100, 200, and long jump in 1998, so she certainly doesn't have to apologize for wanting to be in all those events. And the top 100-meter runners always run in the 4x100. As for the 4x400, a number of people think if she concentrated on the 400 exclusively, she could set a world record. She doesn't run it often, but likes to test herself at that distance from time to time. I think the challenge of testing herself at a distance she doesn't often run provides a motivation that will help her other events. I don't think her teammates are bothered. She goes out of her way to be a part of the team at all times and in Sydney a number of the coaches and runners have remarked on how impressed they are by her. SportsJones: What is the biggest threat to her winning five golds? Rapoport: Her problems in the long jump are well-known, but suddenly the relays appear to be a problem, too. She was the only U.S. runner to make the finals in the Olympic 100 while both the Bahamas and Jamaica came up strong in that event. Also, the U.S. didn't qualify any runners in the 400 final, so the U.S. may not be as strong in the 4x400 as it had hoped.
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