The future of American athletics is at stake. Can Batgirl save the Universe? When last we saw the dynamic duo, Mr and Mrs Jones were a picture of athletic bliss. Batgirl, the newly-crowned 100 metre Olympic champion. He proud, but wounded (knee) athlete.
Jumpin' Jehusipher! Since then Batgirl has been drawn into the mire of controversy. CJ has nandrolone in his tank? Are Batgirl and CJ both driving dodgy Batmobiles? Does our heroine consume nothing more potent than holy guacamole? Will his medicine chest make her trip on her cape? With one bound she was free. CJ Hunter (the erstwhile Mr Jones, who it transpires had a thaang goin' on) watched stonily from the stands as his wife, Batgirl, took an early lead and then buzzed effortlessly away to win the 200 metres final by nearly half a second. One huge margin in a sprint race, one small margin for Marionkind.
Earthling Pauline Davis Thompson of the Bahamas was second in 22.27 and semiearthling Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka, who tested positive for CJ's top tipple, nandrolone, two years ago, won the bronze medal in 22.28. Batgirl is one tough cookie. She came into the packed post-race press conference and finessed the affair as if she had been born and raised on Madison Avenue, Gotham City. She runs, she jumps, she charms. In the wake of her second gold of the Games, Jones slayed the media. She made little jokes. She smiled her gummy ole smile. She "apologised for just goin' on and on". She got into a sort of impromptu cabaret act with Pauline Davis Thompson, who sucked all the tension. Davis Thompson opened with a brief history of her underwear, with emphasis on those early days when she "was busty and had a big ass". She'd had to sleep in a red training bra until a more tastefully-tinctured blue one came available.
She described her first meeting with Cathy Freeman. "I came up to her and I looked at her and I said `girl what colour are you exactly?' We been friends ever since."
By then we knew we weren't going to get much CJ talk. This episode was about minor characters and sub-plots.
"I'm kinda outspoken," said Davis Thomson, taking a breather.
"No!" said Batgirl, mock surprised.
She dealt with her CJH problem with a politician's slippery smoothness.
"I'm taking it day by day. Concentrating on tomorrow. Jumping and then the relays. That's all I think about for now."
Did she fear that people would think she was running dirty?
"I don't have that fear. The people that know me and support me, coach me and train with me know that I'm a clean athlete. I don't fear anyone thinking I'm a dirty athlete. The problems of this week can be dealt with when this week is over. I have been planning these events a long time. I concentrate on them for now."
Her coach, Trevor Graham stood at the side and watched his charge in action under the lights. We thought he might know of a weakness. "Has it been hard Trevor to keep the focus from day to day?"
"From the day I met Marion I've never known focus to be a problem. She switches from one thing to another and shuts everything out. Even this week. She is the most remarkable person I've met in that regard. It's never been a problem."
So what advice do you give her?
"Just keep the interviews short."
The interviews, the press conferences, are done with for now and the two easiest races are over for Jones. Now come the tough events, beginning with this morning's long jump final. Then comes the 4x100 relays where American supremacy is under threat due to injuries to Gail Devers and Inger Miller. Last comes the 4x400, where Freeman will anchor a strong home team.
The woman who invented the drive for five may have to make do with two. Then she has to go figure out how she married a molehill and woke up with a mountain.
