MADE MARION

Forget the three gold and two bronze medals she won at the Sydney Olympics, and the sultry-voiced DJ routine in those Nike commercials.

This is the definition of fame: Marion Jones was recognized when she ducked into a Fatburger on Thursday during a quick visit to Southern California.

The day before, in New York for a photo session, she got the ultimate confirmation of her celebrity status.

“I’m just standing in the middle of Times Square and we’re just taking a simple picture,” she said. “And cabs are going by and people are yelling, ‘Yay, Marion!’ And people in buses. It was funny.

“It’s fortunate and unfortunate. I’m a low-key--and I wouldn’t go so far as to say shy--person but I like my privacy. Occasionally, if I feel like getting up and going to the grocery store, I don’t necessarily have to make sure my hair is done and my clothing is good, but now I have a certain responsibility to look presentable. Many a time, at 12:30 I’ll have a craving and I’ll go out without my hair done.”

Since winning gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600 relay and bronze in the 400 relay and long jump, Jones has slowed her life to a more moderate pace. She won the 100 at a meet in Doha, Qatar, a few days after the Olympics but took the next few weeks off for a much-needed mental and physical respite.

Not that she ever stops completely. Jones made the rounds of TV talk shows last week, and she was in Los Angeles on Thursday to receive an engraved steel and diamond watch from TAG Heuer, one of her first and most loyal sponsors, to commemorate her Sydney feats.

Before agreeing to an interview, Jones’ representatives stipulated she would not discuss her husband, world shotput champion C.J. Hunter, whose positive tests last summer for the anabolic steroid nandrolone were revealed during the Sydney Games and clouded Jones’ quest for five gold medals. Jones was otherwise candid and relaxed, acknowledging that although she enjoyed the Hollywood treatment, she much preferred to be at home in North Carolina and on the track.

“I’m a jock. That’s what I do,” said Jones, who turned 25 last month. “I like to play my sports and run and jump. Sometimes, [doing TV interviews] is a necessary evil. It’s fun, going on ‘Letterman’ and doing those type of things, and I have been enjoying it. The difficult thing is being away from my family. I’m a very quiet person and I like things around me that I’m familiar with and being in an environment I’m familiar with. . . .

“Generally, it’s been a good experience. I really wouldn’t trade it for anything. In a perfect world, everybody would have to come to North Carolina, but I don’t think David Letterman or Rosie O’Donnell would do that.”

Everyone else seems to go to her. Although other U.S. Olympians found they weren’t being pursued to appear in commercials, perhaps because of the low TV ratings for the Sydney Games, Jones is a notable exception. Her endorsement list, already long, is sure to grow.

“I’ve gotten some [offers] and we’re definitely in the process [of negotiating],” she said. “Some of the athletes I’ve talked to said they’re doing very well. Of course, they don’t give me the specifics.

“Just because the viewership here in the States was down, you can’t forget viewership in other countries was up. In terms of sponsors that doesn’t always mean in the U.S.”

Jones plans to resume training next week and is eager to get back onto the track.

“The month off is really difficult for me,” she said. “I always have to be moving.”

She always has to be moving toward a goal too.

Becoming the most decorated woman at a single Olympics was a starting point, not the end. She intends to be on the world stage for quite a while--and she intends to continue competing in the long jump, in which her raw athletic ability has outweighed her unrefined technique.

“I know I want to run for another couple of Olympics, but exactly which events are still up in the air,” she said. “The long jump? Oh, definitely. It’s funny how people react to the bronze medal in the long jump. It’s like a travesty that I got third. I’m young. I still have a lot to learn, so I’m looking forward to the future of my jumping.

“I’m not ready to move up to the 400. It’s an event I do not like. I’m not doing any hurdles or the 400.”

She will begin her season with the Mt. SAC meet, which she welcomes as a chance to return to her second home. But her schedule will be less hectic than it was in the year that preceded Sydney.

“I’ll still train and be at a lot of big meets, but people won’t necessarily see Marion at every little shindig meet around,” she said.

The 2004 Athens Games are a long way off, but Jones pushes herself by learning to truly test her limits.

“I really like the World Championships, and that’s kind of the closest to the Olympics,” she said. “Any time you go out there, you know there are people gunning for you. I would think there’s motivation for my competitors to want to beat me, so I know that every time I step onto the track I have to be on top of my game.

“My motivation is still to be considered one of the best ever. I think I helped my cause out a little bit in Sydney, but in my opinion, I’m still not at the point where I can be considered among the greats, like Jackie [Joyner-Kersee], Carl [Lewis], Evelyn [Ashford], Wyomia Tyus. The list goes on and on. At this point, even though I had success at Sydney, it’s premature to think I’m up there with them. It’s going to take more gold medals and, hopefully, some records. It’s going to take consistency over years. . . .

“I’m still looking forward to all the things that are yet to come in my track and field career. Every year, I’ve improved. Although, particularly this year, I didn’t set a personal record in the 100, I ran the fastest windiest time ever. Those are little things I can say that I’m improving, and I’m learning at no point am I 100% knowledgeable about each of my events. I know I have a lot to learn. I feel good about the fact I could go to the Olympics and win by such a huge margin in the 100 and still feel I have a lot to learn.”