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Jones, Greene win opening heats easily

Marion Jones started her hunt for an unprecedented four world gold medals today by easily winning her opening 100 metres heat.

Jones clocked 11.22 seconds on on a hot, sunny morning to advance to the second round later today.

Two false starts did not seem to bother the 23-year-old American, who looked relaxed after her opening race.

''It felt great,'' said Jones, seeking to win not only the 100 and 200 metres but also the long jump and one of the relays.

No person has ever won more than three gold medals at a World Championships.

''The track feels great,'' said Jones. ''It's already burning up out there. We're all excited to get started.''

In the men's section, Maurice Greene began his defence of his World 100 metres crown with an equally easy victory.

The World record holder won his first-round heat easily in a modest time of 10.30 in bright sunshine.

The time was the second slowest of the winners of the 10 heats, but Greene was clearly delighted to have got his campaign under way and confessed later he had been nervous.

''I've been up since 5.30 am. I'm ready to run,'' he said. ''I was anxious to get started. The track feels good. We'll see what happens in the next round.''

Jones, who left the Athen's World Championships two years ago with gold in the 100 metres and 4x100 metres relay, could face a stiff challenge in the shorter sprint from France's Christine Arron.

The European champion recovered from a slow start to win her heat comfortably in 11.10 seconds, beating Russian veteran Irina Privalova into second place.

''I'm surprised by the time,'' said Arron, who has been hampered for weeks by pain in both her knees. ''I felt it a bit. I'm going to put some ice on it.''

Arron made headlines yesterday when she said she believed many athletes were on drugs and that the sport's rulers were not taking appropriate measures to fight doping.

Several top athletes, including Jamaica's Merlene Ottey, who would have been one of Jones' main rivals in the 100 metres, tested positive in the build-up to the championships.

Privalova, who had a bandaged left heel, qualified but would not be happy with her time of 10.45 seconds.

American Gail Devers, who won the 100 metres title at the last two Olympics, also went through but had to be content with second place in her heat behind Ukraine's Zhanna Pintusevich.

The 200 metres World champion clocked a winning time of 11.20 seconds.

''It feels odd but it feels good,'' said Devers. ''I haven't competed 100 metres races for a long time so I'm using the rounds to see what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong.''

American Inger Miller, one of the few women capable of giving Jones a hard time here, also won her heat with ease, clocking 11.21 seconds.

Greece's Ekaterini Thanou, who holds the third fastest time this year in 10.91 seconds, outclassed the opposition in her heat to win in11.10 seconds.

Trinidad's Ato Boldon, the second fastest man in the world over the distance this year who was forced to withdraw from the championships because of a hamstring injury, watched Greene's race from the main stand.

He shouted out encouragement to his training partner after the race.

''It was typical maurice,'' Boldon said. ''He always starts slowly. Personally I would have run it a lot faster but that is the way Maurice likes to do it.''

Canada's former World silver medallist Bruny Surin and American Tim Harden clocked the joint fastest time of 10.18 in separate heats.

The Canadian was pushed all the way by Britain's European champion Darren Campbell, who ran 10.37 in second place.

Namibia's Olympic silver medallist Frank Fredericks also cruised to victory in his heat in 10.22.

UNI