Jones returns a success

Marion Jones won the 100 for her first sprint title since 2002.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Marion Jones made a triumphant return to her sport's center stage Friday night by winning the 100 meters at the U.S. track and field championships -- in the stadium where she won her first national title nine years ago.
Justin Gatlin, the world 100 and 200 champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 100, successfully defended his U.S. 100 title easily in 9.93.
Running into a stiff headwind in the event's third round of the day, Gatlin was well off the world record of 9.77 he shares with Jamaican Asafa Powell.
Jones, 30, won her 14th U.S. championship but first sprint title since 2002. "I have a passion for the sport," she said. "I have a passion to compete, and nobody's going to take that away from me."
Basking in her return, Jones waved and smiled to the cheering crowd as she jogged back down the stretch, a far cry from the dour expression she wore last year when she picked up her warm-ups at the starting blocks and left the track with an injury at the U.S. championships in Carson, Calif.
"I really want to thank everybody for their support," she told the crowd through the public address system.
A year off
Jones took a year off for the birth of her son, then struggled through injury and doping allegations that she vehemently denied.
"It's provided me with the utmost motivation to come back and reclaim the No. 1 spot in the world," she said of the charges a few have made against her. "I think that has increased my motivation and put it at a level I probably haven't seen since Sydney."
She broke out of the blocks fast into a mild headwind and held off the competition in 11.10 seconds. Reigning world champion Lauryn Williams was second at 11.17. Torri Edwards, the 2003 world 100 champion, was third, also in 11.17.
USA Track & amp; Field officials may wish Jones would never have returned to the sport, preferring to emphasizing the younger athletes untainted by any suspicions, but the crowd of nearly 10,000 welcomed her back.
"At this point in time, the fans are the judges," Gatlin said when asked if Jones' comeback was good for the sport, "and the way the fans perceived her out there when she crossed the line, they love her. So why not? It's great for track and field."
Gay, Crawford finish 2-3
Tyson Gay was second in the men's 100 at 10.07. Shawn Crawford, 2004 Olympic gold medalist in the 200, was third at 10.26.
Severe thunderstorms forced postponement of the 100 first round Thursday night, meaning three rounds of the race were held Friday. Gatlin said it was the first time he's done that since high school.
Gatlin knows that anything less than a world record is a disappointment these days.
"People wanted to come out here and see a great time," he said. "I wasn't able to produce it. I feel bad for the fans, but I'm going to do it again for them. I just want to go out there and do it again for them. Hopefully next year, same time, same place, we'll run a better time."
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.