Consistent improvement is the key for the 25-year-old Jones and together with her coach, Trevor Graham, she has been honing her technique over the winter after a brief break."I'm not a big fan of doing all the talking about world records. It's a better surprise for all of us if, out of the blue, a world record is set. I'm looking forward to being more consistent with my races."In the 100 metres, I'm quite consistent at 10.9, 10.8, 10.7, and on that special special occasion, I'll hit the 10.6 mark But I don't want to look at it like that. We want to be able to say I'm consistent at 10.7, 10.6, and on that special special occasion, hit that 10.5 mark. That right there is our goal."Having won Olympic gold at both 100m and 200m in Sydney, Jones is also considering doubling up at the Edmonton World Championships."The 200 is an event that's quite interesting to me," she said "I don't run it all that often. I'm quite capable, I think, of dropping a fast time, but I want to learn more about the event."I still think I have a lot to learn in the 200 metres. That's not to say I don't have things to learn in the 100 and long jump."This year much of her preparation will be done in America, rather than Europe where the best meetings will take place.
"In terms of individual events, I haven't been all that pleased with some of my performances in the US," she said. "I hope to change that to prove to myself that I can run fast not only abroad but also right here at home.". Athens yesterday received firm assurances from the International Olympic Committee that the 2004 Games will not be moved to another country. Athens yesterday received firm assurances from the International Olympic Committee that the 2004 Games will not be moved to another country.
The assurances follow reports that the IOC was so worried about Greece's preparations for 2004 that it was considering Sydney and Seoul as alternatives. Yesterday, however, following a three-day visit of more than 40 inspectors headed by the IOC's chief co-ordinator for 2004, Jacques Rogge, Athens organisers received some rare praise for their work. Rogge told a news conference: "I can rule out any other location than Athens The Games will be held in Athens. There is no question about that."Rogge, a Belgian surgeon and candidate for the IOC presidency, had more good news for Athens by describing the situation as completely changed from last year's inspection after which organisers were warned the Games could be under threat unless the organisers raised the pace of preparations.Rogge said: "It is a totally different situation now It is a very good organising committee. We are generally pleased, but the pressure does not come off. When you are organising an event as large and complex as the Olympic Games you can never relax."If the Greek people rally around the cause I am confident that they will be able to take pride in not only their preparations but also their success, come August 2004."Athens already has 70 per cent of the venues determined, but construction has yet to start on most of the outstanding sites. These all have final deadlines to get under way over the rest of this year, and the IOC told officials that these must be met.Rogge, who said the deadlines the IOC have imposed are realistic, added: "If the pace is as it is now, we will have an absolutely high-quality Games.