CNNSI.com - SI For Women - 100 Greatest Female Athletes

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Use the menu below to read our biographies of the century's greatest sportswomen and then tell us who you think should be No. 1. Also, be sure to check out our expanded home page and our new issue which is on newsstands now.

58. Marion Jones, Track & Field

1975-
Two-time world champion sprinter at 100 meters

Jones will be looking for a high five in Sydney. Bill Frakes
When Marion Jones was wheeled off the track at the 1999 world championships in Seville, Spain, her date with history was not called off but postponed. Jones had already won a gold medal at 100 meters and bronze in the long jump when back spasms struck during a 200-meter semifinal race, cutting short her bid for four golds and ending her string of 200-meter victories at 25 races. Though frustrating, the misfortune is merely an interruption for the woman whose avowed bid for five Olympic golds is still a year away.

Jones began to show extraordinary promise in track and basketball in 1992 as a sophomore at Thousand Oaks (Calif.) High. She was the fastest in the U.S. at 100, 200 and 400 meters and twice took her hoops squad to the regional championship game. At the 1992 U.S. Olympic trials, Jones placed fourth in the 200, but declined a spot on the 4x100-meter relay team because at age 16 she felt she wasn't ready. Instead, Jones opted to attend the University of North Carolina on a basketball scholarship. The starting point guard led the Tar Heels to a 92-10 record and the 1994 NCAA title. As a senior in 1996, Jones planned to redshirt in basketball and compete in the Atlanta Olympics but she broke a bone in her left foot and was forced to sit out the Games. The very next year Jones returned with a vengeance to become the first woman in 50 years to win three events at the U.S. Nationals. In 1997 and '98 she was the unanimous choice as female athlete of the year by Track & Field News. At the 1999 world championships, Jones and husband C.J. Hunter -- who won the shot put competition -- became the first married couple to win golds at a world championship. With her win streak in the 100 meters at 27 (excluding a disqualification for a false start), Jones plans to keep her date with destiny at the 2000 Sydney Games.

They Said It: "She started crying right away. It was quick though. It was Marion. She even cries fast." -- Jones' husband C.J. Hunter after she won the 100m at the 1997 worlds in Athens

--Brian Cazeneuve

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated For Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.