What to Expect in SYDNEY - Marion Jones, and other Olympic athletes - Brief Article

Ebony, Oct, 2000

Marion Jones and other African-American Olympians will be in the spotlight

THE stage is finally set in Sydney, Australia, for Marion Jones to do what no other woman has done in the 104-year history of the Olympics--win five gold medals at one Olympiad. If she can capture gold in the 100- and 200-meter runs, the long jump, and pick up two other gold medals as a member of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams, she'll gain a bit of immortality and lay claim to the title as "the world's greatest female athlete."

"My goal is not to go to Sydney [with an idea to] win four gold medals and one silver, or to win three golds and two bronze," says the confident 5-foot-10, 150-pound 24-year-old. "The goal is to go there and win everything."

If that is to be, one person she'll have to beat is her Olympic teammate, sprinter Inger Miller, who is expected to be her toughest challenger in the 100- and 200-meter runs.

The U.S. team at the 27th Summer Olympics will be led by Jones, who will be joined by a number of African-American athletes as they take on the world in this test of skill and determination. Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene will lead the men's team, but they won't go head-to-head in the 200-meter run because both injured hamstrings and failed to finish the 200 at the trials. (John Capel won the race in 19.85 seconds.) That injury prevents Johnson, the world record-holder in the 200-and 400-meter runs, from repeating his historic performance at the Atlanta Games in 1996 when he became the first to win both the 200- and 400-meter races. He will compete in the 400 and the 4x400 relay. Greene, the world record-holder in the 100 meters, will go for the gold in that race and will be a member of the 4x100 relay team.

Other strong contenders for medals are world champion Gail Devers in the 100-meter hurdles, and world record-holder Kim Batten, Sandra Glover and Tonja Buford-Bailey in the 400 hurdles. Regina Jacobs is a threat in the 1500 and 5000 runs. In the women's 800, it will be a family affair. World record-holder Jearl Miles-Clark will be joined by her sisters-in-law, Hazel Clark and Joetta Clark Diggs. All three members of the Clark competitors are coached by J.J. Clark, Miles-Clark's husband and the brother of Hazel and Joetta. (The head of the Clark family is former New Jersey high school principal Joe Clark, a strong disciplinarian who was depicted in the movie Lean On Me.)

In the field events, Charles Austin, the Olympic champion in the high jump, will defend his title; Lawrence Johnson goes for gold in the pole vault; and Melvin Lister is among the favorites in the long jump. In boxing, Michael Bennett, the world heavyweight amateur boxing champion, is co-captain of the U.S. team that's expected to earn its share of medals. In wrestling, Quincey Clark, Kerry McCoy and Steven Mays should be among the medal contenders, as well as Keeth Smart in fencing.

Another basketball Dream Team--including NBA stars Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway--is expected to win the gold medal. The women's team is also likely to win gold with a group that includes WNBA All-Stars Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Yolanda Griffith, Chamique Holdsclaw and Dawn Staley.

Aside from the competition, some history was made when two African-Americans were named to prestigious administrative positions. Former Phillip Morris executive Early Reese is chief financial officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee, becoming the highest-ranking African-American ever on the USOC staff. And Bob Watson is co-general manager of the U.S. Olympic baseball team. He's also co-chairman of the selection committee that was responsible for choosing the team for the Sydney Games. (Watson became baseball s first African-American general manager when he took the Houston Astros' job in October 1993. Three years later, he became the first African-American general manager to win a World Series when he directed the New York Yankees' world championship run.)

In this year's Olympic competition (as it has been at past Games), much of the total success of the U.S. team will depend on the performances of African-American athletes.

The spotlight will shine brightly on Marion Jones during her quest to win five gold medals. But by the end of the Games, there could be six gold medals in her household. Her 6-foot-1, 330-pound husband, C.J. Hunter, is also on the Olympic team and is one of the favorites in the shot put competition. "My ultimate goal is not to just win the five gold medals at the Olympics. I want to win more golds after that," Jones says. "I want a chance to break world records, and the ultimate goal is to be considered one of the best ever."