Regina Jacobs: I'm going to Run Major Events

From wire reports:

Oakland, CA – April 1, 2002 – Reversing course, it was announced at a press conference yesterday that Regina Jacobs is making a change in the focus of her career.  For the rest of her career, she is going to make performing well in the sport’s most important meets – the major Grand Prix events, world championships and Olympics– her priority.

“I realize that I was mistaken.  The point of the sport is to perform well in the major championships and big Grand Prix meets in Europe.  From now on, I will make these events my number one priority,” said the 38-year old when reading from a prepared opening statement at yesterday’s press conference.  “Setting obscure records at obscure distances at small meets so that I can make a lot of money will no longer be my priority.  I was a bit embarrassed when my husband and coach pointed out to the me the fact that I’ve either dropped out, gotten dead last in the final, or failed to go to the last 5 major championships that I’ve qualified for,” added Jacobs in reference to her pulling out of the 2000 Olympics, her last place performance at the 2001 world indoor track and field championships, dropping out of the 2001 world outdoor track and field championships, and not competing at the 2001 and 2002 world cross country championships.

Yesterday’s developments sent shockwaves throughout the sport of track and field as they represent a complete change in direction for Jacobs. Earlier this year, Jacobs set world bests at the rarely run 2 mile and 3 mile events and announced that she would no longer be running at the US nationals indoors and possibly not at the next Olympics.  She then won the US championships in cross country at 4k and presumably picked up a nice shoe bonus before skipping the world championships and a possible $30,000 first place prize, announcing that she would be focusing on the women’s steeplechase this summer even though that event isn’t yet an Olympic event.

“We’re quite stunned by these developments for the mark a virtual 180 degree shift in focus,” said Weldon Johnson, co-founder of the "un-monitored" running web-site LetsRun.com which has been one of the most vocal critics of Ms. Jacobs in recent years.  “It’s great for the sport of track and field but bad for business at LetsRun.com because now we’re going to have to work hard to find a new poster child for all that’s wrong with the sport of track and field.”