Back injury cramps Jones' chances
SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — Marion Jones' bid for a sprint double ended in agony today when she pulled up with a back injury during the semifinals of the 200 meters at the World Champioships.
Jones, who won the 100 meters on Sunday, clutched her lower back about 50 meters from the finish and fell to the track. She was carried off on a stretcher.
The sprinter's husband, shot put champion C.J. Hunter, rushed down from the stands and walked beside the stretcher as it was wheeled to the medical station inside the stadium, where she was being attended to by two doctors.
"It's her back," said Jones' agent, Charlie Wells.
Meanwhile, Colin Jackson won Britain's first gold medal of the championships by capturing the men's 110-meter hurdles.
Jackson, the world record-holder and 1993 world champion, dipped across the line in 13.04 seconds, ahead of Cuba's Anier Garcia in 13.07 and American Duane Ross in 13.12.
The race was so tight that Jackson wasn't sure he had won it. He and the other hurdlers sat on the track, waiting for the official result. When Jackson's name was announced, he jumped up, clapped, waved to the crowd and took off on a victory lap with the Union Jack flag.
Jones was trailing badly as the runners headed into the straight. Grimacing in pain, she slowed down, grasped her back and eased to the ground.
The American was the heavy favorite in the event in her bid for a 100-200 double. She was also due to run in one of the relays. Her bid for an unprecedented four gold medals evaporated Monday when she settled for the bronze in the long jump.
Maurice Greene, the men's 100 champion bidding for the sprint double, won his semifinal heat in the 200 in 20.10 seconds.
But the big surprise came in the second semifinal, where Nigeria's Francis Obikwelu clocked in at 19.84 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year.
In the women's 200, American Inger Miller — silver medalist in the 100 — comfortably won her semifinal in 22.17 seconds. With Jones out, she will now be the favorite for the 200 gold.
The other semifinal was won by Jamaica's Merlene Frazer in 22.18 seconds.
Cuba's Daimi Pernia edged defending champion Nezha Bidouane of Morocco at the line to win the women's 400 hurdles in 52.89 seconds, the best time in the world this year and sixth fastest of all time.
Bidouane was clocked in 52.90, an African record and just 0.01 behind.
In the women's shot put, German Olympic champion Astrid Kumbernuss — who missed last season after having a baby — won her third straight world title with a season's best throw of 65-1?.
Another German, Nadine Kleinert, took silver and Russia's Svetlana Krivelyova was third..
In the men's 400 hurdles, defending champion Stephane Diagana of France (48.18) and Joey Woody of the United States (48.55) won their semifinals.
Earlier, Sweden's Ludmila Engquist, competing in between chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer, had the fastest time in the first-round heats of the women's 100-meter hurdles.
American Gail Devers, the 1993 and 1995 champion, also zipped through her first-round heat, winning in 12.80.
Tomas Dvorak of the Czech Republic fell farther off his world record pace in the decathlon while holding his overall lead with two events, the javelin and the 1,500 meters, remaining.