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Ready, set, go Who's in good form as track competition looms
SYDNEY, Australia -- In Olympic track, timing is everything. Not the kind of timing that that freezes cool yellow numbers on a box at the finish line, but the kind of timing that lets an athlete arrive at the Olympic stadium on a chosen night, one night in four years, ready to perform. On common sense alone, what are the odds? Ridiculous, right? Every Olympian lives in fear of the late injury, the sudden illness, the unexplained slack in training, the misjudged peak that sabotages his preparation. Track starts Friday night at Stadium Australia. For some athletes, timing has been brilliant. For others, terrible. And for others still, timing remains a factor. Who's on the clock and who's not:
GOOD TIMING Adam Nelson, U.S. shot putter: Has improved his personal best five feet this year and ranks No. 1 in the world. C.J. Hunter is out with an injury, John Godina hasn't found his '98 form and Aleksandr Bagach has been tossed out after a positive drug test. No guarantees, but the shot is Nelson's to win Friday night. Jonathan Edwards, British triple jumper: The world-record holder won a disappointing silver in Atlanta and a more disappointing bronze at the '99 Seville worlds. Recent weeks have been emotionally difficult for Edwards, whose mother-in-law recently died of cancer. But at the age of 34 he has found his best form since becoming the first man to jump 60 feet in '95. He should finally get a gold to take into retirement. Marion Jones, U.S. wonder woman: It has been a long, grinding year for Jones, who has been asked about her quest for Five Golds about every hour. Jones has weathered the pressure with dignity, while performing at a consistently high level. She was likely to win the 100 and 200 here whether Inger Miller competed or not, but with Miller injured, out of the 100 and possibly the deuce, Mrs. Jones gets an automatic two golds with absolutely nobody to worry about. BAD TIMING Regina Jacobs, U.S. 1,500 runner: After a brilliant spring and summer, and a double (1,500 and 5,000) at the U.S. trials in Sacramento, Jacobs got sick and pulled out of the Games. This is not only sad at face value, but allowed much of the world track press to suspect that Jacobs was pulling out to avoid the Sydney EPO test. It's not fair, but that's the way it is. And it might just be Jacobs' legacy. Inger Miller, U.S. sprinter: A hamstring injury 15 days before the Games? It doesn't get any worse. Gabriela Szabo, Romanian 1,500 and 5,000 runner: Absolutely dominated the world through all of '99 with the most devastating finish in the sport. This year she has been vulnerable, challenged to the line by American Suzy Favor Hamilton and beaten soundly by Kenyan Leah Malot, who isn't even here. Nobody is afraid of Szabo anymore. QUESTIONABLE TIMING Marie-José Perec, French 400 runner: Track's Greta Garbo. Wants to be alone. Has run one -- that's not a misprint -- 400-meter race since Atlanta, where she also won the 200. Yet the Australian press has been tubthumping her matchup with Cathy Freeman, and respect for Perec in the track community is so high that there's actually a smidgen of belief that Perec could come out of nowhere and beat Freeman. Maurice Greene, U.S. sprinter: It's been an up-and-down year for Mo. He has lost some races and won some others despite terrible starts and poor technical execution. Will he throw in a clunker at the Games? His history is that he runs his best when the most is on the line. There's never been more on the line. Sports Illustrated senior writer Tim Layden is in Sydney covering the track and field competition for the magazine and CNNSI.com. Check back daily to read Layden's behind-the-scenes reports from Down Under.
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