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BLACK STARS SET TO PACE OLYMPICS CLOUDED BY CONTROVERSY

EVER since Jesse Owens put on a one-man show and upstaged Hitler at the 1936 Olympics, Black athletes have been dominant factors in the quadrennial summer super-superbowls. Who can forget Wilma Rudolph's triumph in Rome, Carl Lewis' four-star performance in Los Angeles, Jackie Joyner Kersee's heptathlon dominance in Seoul and Barcelona, the Black Power salute in Mexico City, Marion Jones' gold collection in Sydney, and Muhammad All rallying for one last time to light the flame in Atlanta?

The 2004 Games, which open August 13 in Athens, Greece, will almost certainly produce spectacular performances by Black athletes, although it has been clouded so far by controversy and contention over dope and steroid testing, and widespread speculation about the status of some of the world's top athletes, including Marion Jones, who will be there (see page 174)--either in the flesh or in the spirit. So will basketball stars LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes, boxer Andre Ward, wrestlers Kerry McCoy and Toccara Montgomery and judo qualifier Rhadi Ferguson.

There will also be exciting action in other sports, including volleyball, where Dain Blanton has qualified, and fencing, which features not one but three African-America ns, Keeth Smart, his sister Erinn Smart and Ivan Lee.

The track and field trials were held late with world-class athletes like Maurice Greene, Dwight Phillips and Sanya Richards still in contention.

MARION JONES WILL BE THERE--ONE WAY OR ANOTHER

SHE is arguably the greatest track and field athlete in the world. Despite that fact, or perhaps because of it, Marion Jones may be barred from the Athens Olympics on unsupported charges of drug or steroid use. Jones has denied the charge and has fought back publicly, pointing out that she has never tested positive for drugs, and she is threatening a lawsuit if she is barred. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) later lowered the level of proof, making it easier, some said, to bar athletes accused. She later called the Anti-Doping Agency "a secret kangaroo court" and said it was trying to destroy her career. She said again, as she told EBONY, that she has never failed a drug test, and she demanded, once again, a public hearing. There was no indication at press time how all this would work out.

Jones may or may not go to Athens, but one thing is certain: Whether she participates or not, the biggest story of this Olympics will be Marion Jones in the Olympic Games or why Marion Jones is not in the Olympic Games.

At an exclusive photo shoot for EBONY at her home track stadium in Cary, N.C., near Raleigh, Jones, who is the most decorated female track-and-field athlete in a single Olympics, was calm and cool, going about her normal training routine, giving absolutely no indication of the maelstrom surrounding her participation in the Athens Games. In fact, she was busy making travel plans to attend the Games.

The last four years have seen the end of her marriage to C.J. Hunter, the blossoming of a new love with track star and world record-holder Tim Montgomery (who also is being investigated on charges of potential drug violations that could jeopardize his participation in the Athens Olympics), and the birth last year of their son Tim (Monty) Montgomery, who recently turned 1.

Jones is determined that she will compete in Athens. She began training for the 2004 Olympics immediately after the 2000 Games. Calling herself a "trainaholic," she works out daily (except Sunday) from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the weight room and from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the track--in all kinds of weather. She competed in several meets preceding the track and field trials, presenting a defiant and confident face to the world. And people who would count out Jones, the Golden Girl of the last Olympics, should know that she always outruns trouble, whether in her personal life or on the track.

Track and field star, former world record-holder MAURICE GREENE is looking to return to form at this year's Olympics, and 2003 world indoor and outdoor champion long-jumper DWIGHT PHILLIPS (below) is hoping to qualify for his second Olympic Games. U.S. women's basketball team veteran and all-time leading U.S. Olympic scorer LISA LESLIE (bottom, left) returns to the Games in hopes of winning a third gold medal, and NBA Rookie of the Year LEBRON JAMES (bottom) was named to his first Olympic team. The status of world record-holder TIM MONTGOMERY (shown at top with Maurice Greene) was unclear at press time because of speculation about steroid use.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Johnson Publishing Co.
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