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Olympian coupling Jones, Hunter form track's odd first couple
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Marion Jones and C.J. Hunter seem such a matrimonial mismatch. Married for nearly two years, they are the first couple of American track and field. Yet their public images are as different as the 100 meters and shot put. Jones, the reigning world 100-meter champion and winner of the 100 and long jump so far at the U.S. Olympic trials, is lithe, sweet, accommodating and quick to flash her trademark smile. Hunter, the defending world champion in the shot put and runner-up in that event at the trials, is gruff and very large - 6-foot-1, 330 pounds. His public demeanor is unamused, unemotional and unapproachable. On Wednesday, the two made what they said was their first joint news conference appearance, and Jones said the real Hunter is not at all like his image. "C.J. is very protective, and I think all of you see that," she told a packed room of reporters, "but he's also very loving and caring. That's pretty much it. Perhaps you guys don't always see that, but when we leave the track and leave the public eye, he's a big teddy bear. "You guys might laugh, and he won't like me to say that because it's breaking down that wall of his, but he's really a nice, caring guy." If the reclusive Hunter had his way, there would be no appearances like the one Wednesday. "We would never do a press conference, we would never answer any questions, there would be no film crews. We'd go to practice, we'd go to meets, we'd go home," Hunter said. Of course, he doesn't get his way. He's even appeared with his wife in an NBC promotional spot. Jones, of course, is at ease with all the pressure that comes with her quest for five gold medals in Sydney. She's expanded her name familiarity with a series of Nike ads in which, as a radio announcer, she talks about the importance of effort, equality and other virtues. "I've kind of gotten used to it now so I don't marvel anymore," Hunter said. "She's a tremendous competitor. I don't have to tell you about that. And she handles all this stuff much better than I could ever do, so that's also very impressive." The two met in 1995, when Hunter was hired as a throwing coach for the North Carolina track team and Jones was concentrating on basketball with the Tar Heels. He was 26, she was 19. They first met in the weight room, Jones said, but the romance stems from the time Hunter, as the only coach in the office at the time, agreed to give her a ride to the airport so she could catch a flight home at Thanksgiving. The plane was late, and the two had a long talk. "We just kind of clicked," she said. The relationship grew, and the two tried to keep it quiet because coaches are not allowed to have romantic relationships with students. "But when you have me and someone like C.J. walking around together, it was bound to get out," Jones said. Finally, head track coach Dennis Craddock called Hunter into his office and gave him an ultimatum - either he quit seeing Jones or he'd lose his job. "It was no real decision for C.J.,' Jones said. "He quit the job at the University of North Carolina, and it's been all wonderful since then." Hunter has two children, a 7-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, from a previous marriage. Jones said the couple would like to have children 'at some point far into the future." Hunter's dry sense of humor surfaces occasionally. When someone asked why the two didn't hug after her victory in the 100, he said, 'I was still cramping up from the shot put finals." When his wife talked about how the couple kept their relationship quiet at first, he corrected her softly. "We thought we were keeping it quiet," he said, with the emphasis on the word thought. And which of these Olympic contenders empties the garbage at home - the hefty shot putter or the sport's dazzling superstar? "Friday morning is trash day, and I usually remind C.J. Thursday night," Jones said, "and when I wake up, he's gone and I usually have to take the trash out."
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