By Steve Wilstein
AP Sports Columnist

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Marion Jones is going to Athens. Or not, if the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency comes up with the goods on her in its continuing inquisition, which is what the probe feels like to her.

She qualified for the Olympics in the long jump Thursday night with the greatest leap by an American woman in six years and the second best in the world this year, 23 feet, 4 inches, after missing out in her specialty, the 100 meters, last week.

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Then again, by the quirkiest of circumstances involving still another doping case against one of her rivals, sprinter Torri Edwards, the feisty, irrepressible and seemingly unsinkable Jones just might run in the 100 in the Olympics after all.

Jones also still has a shot at a spot in the 200 after qualifying Friday night for Saturday's semifinals. If all the stars align in her strange universe she could wind up on a couple of relay teams and try to match the five medals she won in Sydney in another lifetime four years ago.

That was when Jones was America's sweetheart of sports, the fastest woman in the world, charming, loquacious, and photogenic. She's still photogenic, though she dodges cameras as deftly as she flees microphones. These are not the best of times for her, on or off the track.

Her boyfriend and the father of her baby, 100 world record-holder Tim Montgomery, faces doping charges, a lifetime ban and no Olympics after failing to qualify.

Yet through it all, Jones has not backed down an inch. Not against the doping agency, challenging USADA to come up with solid evidence rather than innuendo and guilt by association. And not against those who would write her off as a has-been.

She might not be as fast as she once was, but you have to admire the moxie of this woman, driven by injustices she claims have been heaped upon her.

"I think I had just a little bit of motivation," she told the crowd after accepting her winner's medal at the Cal State-Sacramento track.

Jones bent over, laughing so hard at that.

"It feels really good. I had fun out there. So many people told me, Marion have fun.' It was very hard to keep it together today."

Then, her voice cracking, she began to sob.

It's easy to understand why she is so emotional and why her performances are so erratic. A few nights ago in a blue suit that matched her mood, she couldn't reach the qualifying mark of 21 feet in the long jump. She didn't smile and wouldn't talk. Now clad in a yellow body suit with racing stripes down the sides, she leaped 22-33/4 on her first attempt in the final and improved on that by more than a foot in her second attempt - her longest jump since 1998.

On all six of her jumps, she surpassed 22 feet, blowing away the competition. Grace Upshaw claimed the other spot on the U.S. team.

"She had a few days to recover from all the 100s ... physically, mentally and emotionally," Jones' coach, Dan Pfaff, said. "Technically, she was a little more aggressive at the end of her approach. She's a pro. She knew what the mistakes were and she fixed them."

After her final jump, Jones raised both arms and flashed a big smile as she bowed to the crowd. Then she jogged over to hug Upshaw, and waved again to the crowd.

"I don't put anything past Marion," Upshaw said. "She's an awesome competitor."

If Jones can get past the 200 heats Friday and Saturday, and the final Sunday, then escape the clutches of the doping agency, she might do something really awesome in Athens.

The scenario for her chances to run in the 100 and the 400 relay in the Olympics plays out this way:

• Edwards, who finished second in the 100, could be bounced from the team after becoming the latest athlete to test positive for a banned substance.

• If Edwards is out, Gail Devers would move into the third spot in the 100 and onto the U.S. team. Jones would move from fifth to fourth, one spot short of making the team in the event.

• If Devers skips the 100 to focus on the 100 hurdles, an Olympic gold she's always wanted to win, Jones would make the 100 team.

You can't make this stuff up.

Of all the people to get caught in doping allegations, and possibly lead to an opening for Jones in the 100, the most unlikely probably was Edwards, an outspoken supporter of anti-drug efforts.

In an interview with The Associated Press and five other news organizations Thursday, Edwards attributed the positive test to a glucose supplement that, unbeknown to her, contained a banned stimulant, nikethamide, as an additive.

The reigning world champion at 100 meters, Edwards tested positive for the stimulant at a meet in Martinique on April 24, the International Amateur Athletics Federation announced earlier in the day.

Edwards could yet run in the Olympics if she receives only a warning rather than a two-year ban. She'll take her case to a U.S. arbitration panel Monday and, if necessary, the international Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Jones surely will be one interested observer. Maybe it was the irony of the whole strange situation that had Jones bent over laughing.

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Steve Wilstein is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at swilstein@ap.org