SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Marion Jones ran slowly Friday night, lost her race and then refused to talk about it. There was no need to panic, really, because this was just a quarterfinal heat in the 100-meter dash and Jones advanced to Saturday's semifinals at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. But Jones has been under a microscope lately, and she suffered another bad day at the oval.

Jones, wearing a white track suit instead of her more familiar black outfit, finished second in her heat in 11.38, three-hundredths of a second behind LaTasha Colander. She appeared to have something in reserve, which Jones will need Saturday as she tries to qualify for Athens to defend her 100-meter gold medal. "She's not talking until after the finals tomorrow," a USATF official said after the race. "That's what her people are saying."

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