Marion Jones: On the Road to Five

She's the voice of Mrs. Jones on the Nike commercials, but Marion Jones is best known as track and field's most recognizable superstar. Jones, a first-time Olympian, will be trying to accomplish a feat that only one other Olympian has been able to do--win five gold medals in a single Olympic Games. In her first Olympic appearance, Jones is scheduled to compete in the 100m, 200m, long jump, 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay.

A native of Los Angeles, California, Jones knew she was destined for greatness at an early age. At five years old she started chasing her older brother Albert around the neighborhood. It took not only speed, but perseverance - what Jones calls "my outrageous competitive nature"- to keep up with her brother and his friends. She went on to win California's High School Athlete of the Year Award in '91 and '92.

It was that competitive nature that led Jones to the University of North Carolina (UNC) and a collegiate career in both track and field and basketball. During her tenure at UNC, Jones helped her team win three ACC basketball championships and a national title, while being ranked number one in both the 100m and 200m. In 1997, after the completion of her college career, Jones went on to be the first woman in 50 years to win the 100m, 200m and the long jump at the USA Championships.

In 1998, Jones had one of the greatest single-year performances in track and field history, winning 35 of 36 outdoor finals. That same year she won gold and set two Goodwill Games records in both the 100m (10.90) and 200m (21.80) races. Jones will be looking to add to those accomplishments and maybe break a few more records when she makes her second appearance at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Jones is not the only Goodwill Games alumnus in the family. Her husband C.J. Hunter grabbed the silver medal behind John Godina in the 1998 Goodwill Games. Jones and Hunter met at UNC where he was an assistant strength coach. The live and train in Raleigh, North Carolina.