Off-colour Marion can’t relieve the tension

Marion Jones advanced despite being last in her heat and Shawn Crawford ran the year’s fastest 200m here yesterday but doping shame overshadowed speed at the US Olympic athletics trials. Torri Edwards, who faces a doping hearing on Monday, had the fastest women’s 200m time and Mickey Grimes, who reportedly tested positive for a banned substance, won a first-round 200m heat at the doping-overshadowed meet.

‘‘There’s no question for some period of time, some segment of the public is going to connect track and field with drugs’’, said USA Track and Field chief executive Craig Masback. Masback called three days of doping revelations during the trials ‘‘the most challenging period of positives in the history of our sport’’, saying it marked ‘‘a drip, drip, drip of suicide’’ for athletics.

Reigning Olympic 200m champion Jones, being investigated for possible doping violations, was fifth and last in her quarter-final heat in 22.93 seconds, but 10th fastest overall among 19 women who raced for 18 spots. Jones, who departed without speaking to reporters, had failed to qualify for a chance to defend her Olympic 100m crown at Athens with a fifth-place showing but won the long jump to secure a berth at the Games.