Pregnant Jones Misses World Championships

Marion Jones's six-year reign as the world's top female sprinter has been halted - not by a rival but by pregnancy. The American has announced that she and her partner, the world 100 metres record holder Tim Montgomery, are expecting a baby.

The birth, due in July, means Jones will miss the world championships in Paris this August. But instead of marking the end of her brilliant career, which peaked when she won a record five Olympic medals in the 2000 Sydney games, including three gold, it could signal the beginning of a new phase if the experience of previous athletes who have taken time out to start families is any guide.

Her fellow Americans Evelyn Ashford and Valerie Brisco-Hooks enjoyed a high level of success after birth. Ashford, already an Olympic champion, had a daughter in 1985 and went on to win 100m silver and 4x100m gold at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Doctors have long believed that pregnancy produces an anabolic effect and leaves them stronger. That certainly happened in the case of Brisco-Hooks who had a son in 1982, then became the first athlete ever to complete a 200m-400m Olympic double in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

The downside is that during pregnancy, many women lose conditioning and gain weight. And joints may still be loose as an after-effect of pregnancy's higher levels of the hormone relaxin. But Jones is still sure she can return to the Olympic arena in Athens next year to defend the 100m and 200m titles she won in Sydney.

"I plan to enjoy this experience," said Jones. "I don't plan to be on the treadmill and in the gym at 40 weeks. I look forward to getting back in training for Athens. The timing is great in terms of when the baby will be born. I'm confident I'll have plenty of time to be ready in 2004."