Marion Jones withdraws from Weltklasse meet
ZURICH, Switzerland -- Marion Jones withdrew from the Weltklasse Golden League meet on Friday, citing "personal reasons."
Meet director Hans Jeorg Wirz said Jones received a morning telephone call from the United States that prompted her decision. No further details were given.
The five-time Olympic medalist has raced five times in Europe this season, winning the 100 meters in Paris and Lausanne. She had been set to race in Zurich for the first time in two years after having been snubbed by the meet for her connection to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid scandal.
She was not invited to this year's Golden League final in Berlin on Sept. 3 because of links to her former coach Trevor Graham, who is under investigation by track and field's ruling body and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Other athletes who trained under Graham also were not invited.
Graham is the coach of Olympic and world 100-meter champion Justin Gatlin, who faces a possible lifetime ban after failing a drug test in April.
Jones denies ever using banned substances.
Since winning three gold medals at the 2000 Games, the 30-year-old star has struggled. Her career best of 10.65 seconds in the 100 was in 1998. Her time of 10.91 at the Golden Gala meet in Rome last month was her fastest race in four years.
Americans Torri Edwards and Andrew Rock also have pulled out. Edwards was to have raced in the 100 but injured herself during training Thursday. Rock withdrew from the 400, citing poor form.
In the 5,000, Ethiopians Ejegayehu Dibaba and Meseret Defar both failed to get to Zurich on time.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
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