Twist of Fate May Slow Jones : Track: Rio Mesa sprinter sprains ankle two days after her record-setting day.

There is a new twist in Marion Jones’ quest for the 100- and 200-meter titles at the Arcadia Invitational on Saturday night.

Just two days after establishing a national sophomore and age-15 record in the 100 meters with a clocking of 11.40 seconds at the Oakland Relays in Berkeley, the Rio Mesa High athlete injured her left foot during workouts Monday on Rio Mesa’s track infield.

Jones was walking on the pole vault runway, which is raised slightly above the ground, when teammate Ashanti Austin playfully pulled her arm. Jones stepped on the edge of the runway and turned her ankle.

“She was messing around with me and I was messing around with her and she sort of pulled me and I stepped on the edge,” Jones said.

The injury is minor, however, and Jones still is looking forward to her confrontations with Zundra Feagin of Cocoa (Fla.) High and Theresa Foster of Huntington High (Shreveport, La.) in both sprints Saturday at Arcadia. Jones was second to Muir’s Inger Miller--now at USC--in the 100 and 200 at Arcadia last year.

Last year Feagin had the nation’s best times in the 100 and 200 with 11.35 and 23.13 marks, and Foster was the fourth-fastest performer in the 200 at 23.75. Foster did not record a legal 100 time but has run a wind-aided 11.59.

“This is not going to affect me,” Jones said of her injury. “Your mind is concentrated so much on the race that you don’t even feel (the pain).”

History seems to side with Jones, who has raced well in big meets when nursing an injury. She won state titles in the 100 and 200 in 11.67 and 23.71 last year despite being hampered by a minor ankle injury. At the Sunkist Invitational in January, she tied the national indoor 50-meter record of 6.43 after twisting an ankle playing basketball earlier in the week.

Jones’ latest time in the 100 ranks eighth on the all-time U. S. high school list and is the third fastest by a California prep.

She did it with legal wind on a day most of the sprint and hurdle events were wind aided. The wind reading for Jones’ race was 1.21 meters a second. The maximum allowable is 2.00.

In addition, it was her third race of the day. She anchored the Spartans’ fourth-place 400 relay team (49.00) after lowering her nation-leading time from 54.94 to 54.66 in the 400. She added the 400 event after Feagin failed to show because of prior commitments with her high school team. Now that Jones has conquered the 100 and 400 this season, she is setting her sights on the 200. However, time is not as important as winning both races Saturday. “We’re not concentrating on time, we’re concentrating on hitting the tape,” Jones said.

If Jones meets the challenges presented by Feagin and Foster and her injury doesn’t flare up, Jones’ 200 goal of 23.4--which would break the national age-15 record of 23.59--could be met. Her personal-best is 23.70. “She’s ready to run a fast 200,” Rio Mesa co-Coach Brian FitzGerald predicted.

Jones, however, would prefer to have something she normally takes for granted. “I’d rather be healthy,” she said.