updated 11:02 a.m. ET Aug. 30, 2004

ATHENS, Greece - Marion Jones reached once, twice, three times with the baton, gasping “Wait, wait, hold up, hold up, stop, WAIT!”

But Lauryn Williams was too far gone, and so was a taken-for-granted gold medal. That botched handoff, which knocked the American women out of the 400-meter relay and sent Jones home empty-handed from these Olympics, was the defining moment on the track at the Athens Games.

Though there were plenty of memorable performances — Hicham El Guerrouj finally winning the 1,500 and then adding gold in the 5,000, Kelly Holmes sweeping the women’s middle-distance races, a record five men breaking 10 seconds in the 100 final — something was missing.

The 2004 Olympics lacked a Cathy Freeman, who fulfilled a nation’s dreams when she won 400-meter gold at her hometown Sydney Games. Or a beaming Jones proclaiming boldly she was going for five golds in Sydney, and ending up with three golds and two bronze medals.

Or a Michael Johnson shattering the 200 record in Atlanta in 1996. Or the Ben Johnson-Carl Lewis 100-meter showdown in 1988, won by the Canadian and then forfeited because of steroids.

The Athens Games also failed to produce a truly memorable feel-good American track and field story — though there were plenty of possibilities:

• Jones coming back as a champion 14 months after giving birth to a son.
• Gail Devers finally winning the hurdles in her fifth Olympics.
• Tom Pappas winning the decathlon in the land of his ancestors.

All left without a medal. Jones, under the cloud of a drug probe, finished fifth in the long jump before the ill-fated relay. A bad calf felled Devers before her first hurdle. Pappas pulled out midway through his event with a foot injury.

And the drug stain that has enveloped track for the last year had its impact in Athens. Winners were questioned about drugs. Rumors spread as soon as an unexpected star emerged. And three champions — so far — have been stripped of gold medals because of doping.

Only one world record was set, and another tied, at the Athens Games. But many of the sport’s records, set in an era when drug testing was not as stringent, now seem untouchable.

Even some of the highlights this summer were tainted by drugs.

The shot put in Ancient Olympia was a classic — until the first woman to win gold at the hallowed site tested positive for steroids. The 1-2-3 sweep by U.S. men in the 200 was delayed four minutes by Greek fans chanting for fallen hero Kostas Kenteris, who withdrew from the games after skipping a drug test.

The Olympics may be over, but the doping news is not. The focus of the track world now moves back to drug labs, the federal courts and international arbitrators.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is continuing its probe of Jones. She repeatedly has denied using performance-enhancing substances, but ex-husband C.J. Hunter says Jones used banned drugs before, during and after the Sydney Games. That could put her five medals from 2000 at risk.

Four other athletes charged by USADA with steroid use face lifetime bans if found guilty. All have appealed to arbitrators. One of them, Tim Montgomery, the father of Jones’ son, could lose his 100-meter world record.

And the continuing BALCO probe in federal court in San Francisco threatens to tarnish other athletes and coaches, especially if the case ever goes to trial.

But some inspiring performances on the Olympic Stadium track managed to put the drug issue in the shadows, at least for a few days.

With triple medalist Justin Gatlin leading the way, U.S. men ruled the sprints. They won all but one of the medals in the 100, 200 and 400. Including the relays, the sprints accounted for 10 of the 19 medals won by American men here — their best total since 1992.

“We were dominant,” said Shawn Crawford, who won gold in the 100 and silver on the 400 relay.

The women didn’t do as well. Their six medals were the lowest total since 1976. But 18-year-old Allyson Felix and 20-year-old Lauryn Williams, silver medalists in the 200 and 100, could presage a better showing in the future.

Felix, Williams, the 22-year-old Gatlin — who put on quite a show in his debut Olympics, with gold in the 100, bronze in the 200 and silver as part of the 400-meter relay — and 20-year-old Jeremy Wariner could be just what the sport needs as it tries to recover from the steroid scandal and increase its U.S. visibility.

Wariner won the 400 and led the 1,600-meter relay to gold, showing signs of being Johnson’s successor. They even have the same coach, Clyde Hart of Baylor.

“It seems to be a young generation,” said 21-year-old Darold Williamson, who ran with Wariner at Baylor and won gold with the 1,600 relay team. “I don’t think it was a surprise to do well — we expected it.”

They are among a crop of talented youngsters who made auspicious Olympic showings in Athens.

The only two world records came from 21-year-old Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang and 22-year-old Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva. Isinbayeva broke the world record for the fourth time in two months, clearing 16 feet, 1¼ inches to become Olympic champion. Liu equaled the world mark of 12.91 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles, one of two Chinese golds at the track.

It was the first track gold medal for a male Chinese athlete, and there could be many more of those four years from now at the Beijing Olympics — when the youngsters who made their mark this summer will just be hitting their prime.

MORE FROM TRACK AND FIELD

Track and field Section Front

Track great show, but without star Capel gets warning after positive drug test Hungarian Olympians given 2-year bans Williams-Darling's unbeaten streak ends Marion won't race for rest of year Celizic: Two marathon golds only answer Interactive: Rising stars of track & field NBCO: World and Olympic records NBCO: Inside the sport Medal winners Track and field Section Front   Add Track and field headlines to your news reader: