Triple Olympic champion Marion Jones pulled out of the U.S. Trials 200 metres semi-finals on Saturday because of fatigue, but said she still hoped to win multiple gold medals at next month's Athens Games.
"I am extremely optimistic (that I can) end on a high note in Athens with Olympic gold medals, that I regroup over the rest of the summer and come back and get back to where I was in the past if not better," Jones told a news conference.
Jones, who won the 100 and 200 metres and ran on the winning 4x400 metres relay at the Sydney Olympics four years ago, has so far only qualified for the long jump as an individual event at the Athens Games.
She failed to make the team in the 100 metres by finishing fifth but said it would be "extremely disappointing" if she did not have an opportunity to defend either sprint title.
There are circumstances in which Jones could run in the 100 metres in Athens after all. One of the qualifiers, second-placed Torri Edwards faces a doping charge.
"If it happens that a lane opens up for whatever reason, you can be sure I would take advantage of it," she said.
Jones said she would run a 100 metres at London's Crystal Palace on July 30 and compete in a Golden League meeting before the Athens Games.
"I will prepare over these next few weeks just in case," she said.
SPRINT OPTION
Jones will make the 100 metres team if trials runner-up Edwards is banned because of a positive doping test for a stimulant and third-place finisher Gail Devers decided to concentrate on the 100 metres hurdles.
Devers's agent Greg Foster said a decision would be made on Monday.
Jones is also likely to be selected to the 4x100 metres relay team.
Jones, who has been under scrutiny by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) despite never failing a doping test, called her performance in the trials "up and down."
She said she was pleased with her winning long jump of 7.11 metres on Friday but disappointed in her 100 metres earlier in the week.
She said her reason for pulling out of the 200 metres was fatigue.
"After running my round yesterday I was simply tired, exhausted," Jones said.
Jones said the birth of her son with partner Tim Montgomery last year made the challenge of returning to competition more difficult than she expected.
"If anything, I think this down year will provide even more motivation to want to prove to myself and the world that I still have it, that I am not this old, shrivelled up mother that only ran 11.14 (seconds) and doesn't run the 200 metres.
"At 29 years old, I am still able to get it down, and that will be my goal."
