double whammy
At the same time Jones' reputation was taking a beating, her competitive career tanked. She finished fifth in the long jump in Athens and the 400m relay team was disqualified because of a bad handoff between Jones and Williams. In 2005, she pulled out of the national championships, citing injury.
"It's been a really difficult three or four years, and I think that has shown in my times and my performances," Jones said. "I could fool myself into believing that none of the exterior things, the outside factors, had an effect, but that's not the case. I'm not Superwoman. I'm human, and things affect me.
"You get to a point where you can't really control the exterior forces, you can just do what you can do. It has been difficult, but I'm seeing now there is some light at the end of the tunnel and things can only get better."
Jones said her first priority is her son, Tim Montgomery Jr., and she is putting her career back together carefully. She had been out of competition for 11 months when she appeared at a meet in Xalapa, Mexico, in May. She won the 100m in 11.06 seconds, topping a field that included Edwards.
Her only other race was last weekend in Hengelo, the Netherlands, when she ran 11.16.
Those performances helped convince Wetmore that she would be competitive in Saturday's field. Campbell has run the fastest time in the world this year (10.99), and Williams has also looked strong.
Wetmore said that Jones' presence would create interest in the meet, outweighing any negatives. "For me, I felt strongly enough about the meet and the prominence that she would bring to the meet, and if there's some negative aspects to it, there's always going to be negative," Wetmore said. "I can't do anything about that."
Neither can Jones, no matter how fast she runs.
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