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Wednesday, September 6
Hunter won't compete if not at full strength


RALEIGH, N.C. -- World shot put champion C.J. Hunter has undergone arthroscopic surgery for torn knee cartilage, jeopardizing his participation in the Sydney Olympics.

C.J. Hunter
A knee injury might leave C.J. Hunter with nothing to do but help his wife, Marion Jones.

"It's day-to-day," Hunter, the husband of superstar Marion Jones, said in an interview at North Carolina State University on Wednesday. "I'll be there Sydney, but the question is, how much can I do."

Hunter, one of the Sydney favorites, said he suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee while lifting weights in London in early August.

He did not realize the extent of the injury until the knee gave out at the Brussels grand prix meet. He had the knee examined in Berlin and surgery was scheduled for Sunday, the day after he and Jones returned to the United States from competitions in Europe.

The Olympic shot put preliminaries and final are scheduled for Sept. 22 in Sydney, and Hunter made it clear he would not compete unless he was at full strength.

"If I am not ready to go and win the thing, I have no interest in going out there and hoping to make the finals," he said.

It is a "crystal ball" guess whether Hunter recovers in time, said Dr. Tim Taft, who performed the surgery in nearby Chapel Hill.

"We remain optimistic. It's just that he will have lost valuable training time. That is likely to interfere with his effectiveness. But we are pushing him along as fast as he and his knee will allow us to go."

Hunter said he expected no long range problems because of the injury. "If the Olympics were a month and a half away, I think I would be fine," he said.

If he is unable to compete, the world champion said he would spend his time assisting Jones, who is seeking to become the first female track and field performer to win five gold medals in the same Games.

"I was pretty upset when I first learned about the injury," Hunter said. "Then I figured I could spend the next 50 years being upset about it or the next month putting all my energies getting her ready.

"Fortunately I have something else to focus on."


 


   
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