The Birth of America's Future Track Star
Marion Jones-Thompson was born on October 12, 1975 in Los Angeles, California to the proud parents of Marion and George Jones. During her young years, Jones experienced quite a few emotion roller coasters, which unexpectedly foreshadowed her success as a track and field athlete, later to be known as "The Fastest Woman in the World.” Like many children, Jones was a victim of a divorce, an event that will forever devour a daughter-father relationship. Jones' mother was now subjected to mothering and fathering her two children, Albert the oldest, and Jones. In 1983, Mrs. Jones remarried to the love of his life, Ira Toler, a retired postal worker. Toler, a stay-at-home dad grew a strong bond between his children, Albert and Jones.
In 1987, the Jones-Toler family was burden by the unexpected death of Ira Torler. As a root of escape from Jones' heavy heart, she innocently turned to sports. By the sixth grade, America's future track star was actively devoted to her school's basketball team and by the age of seven, Jones participated in organized track meets. Jones loved track and field that she was convince that track and field was her calling in life. It was her that Jones began to eat, sleep and live the rubbery track. By this time in Jones' life, Jones was so inspired by track stars such as Evelyn Ashford, Carl Lewis and Florence Griffith-Joyner, known by America and the world as Flo Jo, that Jones wrote on her blackboard as a little girl,"I want to be an Olympic Champion". Jones later revealed in an interview with Bill Gutman,"I just always believed it was in my future to compete in the Olympics. I knew from about age five that someday I would be something special in life".
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