Jones’ Painful Cut

Marion Jones has cut her ties to controversial coach Charlie Francis, saying she regretted severing an association that refined her form and restored her confidence but felt it was necessary for the sake of the sport and her career.

“I have a responsibility to the sport, but I have a responsibility to myself to want to get better and improve my technique,” she told The Times on Wednesday in her first public comments since she left longtime coach Trevor Graham to work with little-known Derek Hansen, who brought her together with Francis.

“And that’s all I was trying to do, improve my career and be on the same level as every other sprinter in the world who gets advice from this man, and just because it’s not public or they’re not the No. 1 female athlete in the world, nobody cares.

“It’s something that’s unfortunate, but life is unfortunate sometimes.”

However, she acknowledged she has been irked by the innuendo directed toward her and Tim Montgomery, her training and romantic partner, since they left Graham for Hansen and Francis. She said Montgomery, who set a world record of 9.78 seconds in the 100-meter dash last September, will soon issue his own statement. She didn’t speak sooner, she said, because she resented being pressured by track officials who she said jumped to conclusions without talking to her directly.

“I don’t feel and I don’t think I’ve broken any rules,” she said during a phone interview from her Raleigh, N.C., training base. “I’m a proponent of a drug-free sport and I always will be.

“Many nights I’ve lain in bed and thought that I believe drugs should not be in the sport, but I’m always being dragged through the mud. I’ve never tested positive and I never will, but everybody is putting guilt by association into this, which is so ridiculous.”

Jones, who won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, stunned the track world when she left Graham in December for Hansen, a Canadian who specializes in stretching techniques. Her subsequent turn to Francis -- who was banned from working with elite Canadian athletes after admitting he supplied steroids to defrocked Seoul 100-meter gold medalist Ben Johnson -- led to widespread speculation about her motives and those of Montgomery, with whom she lives.

She called Francis “the No.1 technician in the world” and said he “never once” brought up drugs during their two-month relationship. Their conversations were confined to her technique, which she said he improved “more in a few months than the past three or four years, and that’s not to take anything away from Trevor Graham.”

But the International Assn. of Athletics Federations, which is track and field’s international governing body, expressed concern that the couple’s work with Francis sullied the image of the sport. Officials of USA Track and Field also raised questions.

Jones denied she dropped Francis due to pressure by outsiders, although she said she told the IAAF of her decision regarding Francis.

She also said she hadn’t been pressured by her sponsors, refuting reports in two British newspapers that said Nike told her associating with Francis would jeopardize an extensive advertising campaign it planned to build around her leading up to the 2004 Athens Games.

Directors of the IAAF’s Golden League series went so far as to say they might exclude Jones and Montgomery from their prestigious and lucrative meets this summer to avoid the potential distraction of Francis’ presence, even though she and Montgomery are among the sport’s biggest drawing cards. That doesn’t bother Jones.

“I see where they’re trying to ban Tim and I, and that’s unfortunate, because as much success as I’ve had in Golden League meets and they’ve had with me, it’s really crazy,” she said. “I need people to understand that my life does not revolve around the Golden League. My career in track and field will continue if the Golden League doesn’t invite me.

“Everyone thinks these meets are where the best sprinters in the world compete. If they decide not to invite me, one of the best athletes in the world won’t be running in their meet. I’m not going to be a pawn for them as well. I’ve had lots of success in their meets and I’ve publicized those meets for them, and for them to bring this up is ridiculous.... If I’m not in the Golden League, I’m pretty sure other meets would invite me. Perhaps I’ll see other cities in Europe that I haven’t had a chance to see. “

Jones also had tart words for athletes who have criticized her coaching moves. Those numbers include Sydney 100-meter gold medalist Maurice Greene, who was widely quoted as calling the switch to Francis “stupid,” and retired star Michael Johnson, who urged European promoters not to invite Jones and Montgomery to their meets.

In essence, Jones told them to butt out. She also alluded to the acceptance of former sprinter Dennis Mitchell, who was banned for two years in the 1990s after tests showed he had abnormally high testosterone levels yet is now a successful coach working with a number of British runners, including Dwain Chambers.

“You’ve got all these athletes and former athletes making disparaging remarks, and they do not know the situation,” she said. “And I don’t have to bring their names up. You have athletes who just want their names in the media. They’re talking about Tim and my relationship and they’ve talked about things that have nothing to do with the sport. They should do something positive in the community instead of criticizing two athletes who worked extremely hard and have given so much to the sport. They should be focusing on their indoor running and, in a few months, outdoor running.”

Jones acknowledged her consultation with Francis “perhaps wouldn’t have been such a big deal if, in the beginning ... I would have consulted with some other people.” She added that she underestimated the firestorm she’d cause in hiring Francis because she was only 12 in 1988 when Johnson was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances.

“Every major track and field coach in the world consults with this man. I know that for a fact,” she said. “Whether on a monthly basis or weekly basis, all over the world, top-notch coaches call him and pay for his services. The coach I chose [Hansen] brought his name up and I said, ‘This should be no problem.’ Top coaches go to him to get their questions answered and have their athletes analyzed, so why should I have my competitors getting this extra information that everybody covets in the sport of track and field, and one of the top athletes in the world can’t get that information? That was my reasoning. I didn’t feel at the time it would be a problem.”

It was, but it is no longer, as she’s interviewing prospective replacements. However, Jones is optimistic that what she learned from Hansen and Francis will pay off this season, which she plans to open at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in April.

“I’m so excited about seeing improvement,” said Jones, who hasn’t improved her personal best in the 100 (10.65 seconds) or 200 (21.62) since 1998. “Tim said, ‘It’s such a huge difference,’ and to see it in a race against other world-class athletes will tell the story. I haven’t felt this way since 2000, when I had all that success

“I’m finding certain little angles in the blocks you’ll never see unless you really know about track. I’m raising my hips at the start and I do certain things with my hands. I feel so much more powerful in the first part of my race, and that’s what was hurting me. It’s such a small change, it surprises me some of the best coaches in the world couldn’t see it. But everything happens for a reason and a time. I’m going to put it into play, and I look forward to the season.”