A Motivated Jones Is Back in the Fast Lane

Marion Jones made a triumphant return to her sport’s center stage Friday night by winning the 100 meters at the U.S. track and field championships -- in the stadium where she won her first national title nine years ago.

Justin Gatlin, the world 100 and 200 champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 100, repeated his U.S. 100 title easily in 9.93. Running into a stiff headwind in the event’s third round of the day, Gatlin was well off the world record of 9.77 he shares with Jamaican Asafa Powell.

Jones, 30, won her 14th U.S. championship but first sprint title since 2002.

“I have a passion for the sport,” she said. “I have a passion to compete, and nobody’s going to take that away from me.”

Basking in her return, Jones waved and smiled to the cheering crowd as she jogged back down the stretch, a far cry from the dour expression she wore last year when she picked up her warmups at the starting blocks and left the track with an injury at the U.S. championships in Carson.

“I really want to thank everybody for their support,” she told the crowd through the public address system. “I feel good. I’m back, and doing my thing.”

Jones took a year off for the birth of her son, then struggled through injury and doping allegations that she vehemently denied.

“It’s provided me with the utmost motivation to come back and reclaim the No. 1 spot in the world,” she said of the charges a few have made against her. “I think that has increased my motivation and put it at a level I probably haven’t seen since Sydney.”

She broke out of the blocks fast into a mild headwind and held off the competition in 11.10 seconds. Reigning world champion Lauryn Williams was second at 11.17. Torri Edwards, the 2003 world 100 champion, was third, also in 11.17.

Tyson Gay was second in the men’s 100 at 10.07. Shawn Crawford, 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 200, was third at 10.26.

World champion Bryan Clay led the decathlon through five events with 4,394 points -- 160 points off his first-day personal best. Tom Pappas was second with 4,342.

Kim Kreiner broke the American record in the women’s javelin for the fourth time this year with a throw of 204 feet 10 inches.