Jones struggling to earn a spot in Athens

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Once nearly invincible, Marion Jones is becoming more beatable with each event at the U.S. Olympic track trials.

Jones, who won an unprecedented five medals at the 2000 Sydney Games and had talked of trying to match that haul in Athens, could go home empty handed -- if she goes to the Summer Games at all.

She won the 100 four years ago. This time she didn't qualify. She won the 200 four years ago. She'll try to qualify in that event starting Friday, but her stamina is in question after she seemed to fade toward the end of the 100.

And she was a bronze medalist in the long jump in 2000. On Monday night, Jones could do no better than seventh in the trials' qualifying round -- in an event in which only one other American has reached the Olympic qualifying standard this year.

Jones, 28, never smiled nor showed much expression during her three jumps Monday.

Four years after being the golden girl of the Sydney Games and a year after triumphantly announcing she was returning to the sport just weeks after giving birth, she is being probed for possible drug use and her performances have plummeted.

Jones' troubles began in the winter of 2003, when she was a few months pregnant. She and her boyfriend, 100 world record holder Tim Montgomery, had an acrimonious split with coach Trevor Graham and for a short time worked with disgraced coach Charlie Francis -- who supplied steroids to Ben Johnson in the 1980s.

After getting pressure from world track officials, Jones and Montgomery severed their ties to Francis.

But then the BALCO steroid scandal unfolded. Jones and Montgomery both testified last fall before a grand jury probing the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative.

Montgomery, who failed to qualify for the Olympics in the 100 on Sunday, has been charged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency with steroid use and faces a lifetime ban if found guilty. Jones has not been charged by USADA, but remains under investigation.

Jones and Montgomery both repeatedly have denied using banned drugs.

But Jones' reputation is in tatters and her career is threatened. Her ex-husband and ex-coach both are talking to federal agents in the BALCO case.

Jones' troubles have continued on the track -- and the field -- at the Olympic trials.

Though Jones was one of 12 competitors who advanced to the long jump final on Thursday night and remains likely to make the U.S. team, she failed by a quarter inch to reach the automatic qualifying mark, and got worse with each of her three jumps.

She has the numbers on her side in the long jump. Though her qualification is no longer certain, it would take an extraordinary series of events to deprive her of a place on the U.S. squad.

Under qualifying rules, Jones provisionally can make the Olympic team even if she fails to place among the top three Thursday night. That's because only she and Grace Upshaw have Olympic qualifying marks this season.