Athletics News: Marion Jones's six-year reign as the world's top female sprinter has been halted. Not by a rival but by pregnancy.
The American has announced that she and her partner, the world 100 metres record holder Tim Montgomery, are expecting a baby.
The birth, due in July, means Jones will miss the world championships in Paris this August. But instead of marking the end of her brilliant career, which peaked when she won a record five Olympic medals in the 2000 Sydney Games, including three gold, it could signal the beginning of a new phase if the experience of previous athletes who have taken time out to start families is any guide.
Her fellow Americans Evelyn Ashford and Valerie Brisco-Hooks enjoyed a high level of success after birth. Ashford, already an Olympic champion, had a daughter in 1985 and went on to win 100 metres silver and 4x100 metres gold at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
Doctors have long believed that pregnancy produces an anabolic effect and leaves them stronger. That certainly happened in the case of Brisco-Hooks who had a son in 1982, then became the first athlete to complete a 200-400 metres Olympic double in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
The downside is that during pregnancy many women lose conditioning and gain weight. And joints may still be loose as an after-effect of pregnancy's higher levels of the hormone relaxin. But Jones is still sure she can return to the Olympic arena in Athens next year to defend the 100 and 200 metres titles she won in Sydney.
The news comes after a difficult time for Jones and Montgomery. They split with their long-term coach Trevor Graham and controversially joined Ben Johnson's former trainer Charlie Francis before pressure from their shoe sponsors Nike forced them to end the association.
Guardian Service
