SYDNEY, Australia (Ticker) -- Medals will be handed out by the dozens on Saturday (Friday night in the United States) at the Olympic Games and Marion Jones hopes to add two more to her collection as the anchor of two U.S. relay teams in the track and field competition.

 Saturday is the busiest day of the Olympics with medals being contested in 41 competitions.

 Jones, a gold medalist in the women's 100 and 200-meter dashes, failed in her attempt to add a third gold medal Friday by finishing third in the long jump. However, she gets a chance to win two more gold medals Saturday when she anchors the women's 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

 The 24-year-old Californian did not participate in the preliminary heats of either relay race, but it was agreed before the Games started that she would run anchor in both events.

 The U.S. will probably need a solid performance from her to win those events. The team is already without two of its best sprinters, Gail Devers and Inger Miller, both of whom are sidelined with hamstring injuries.

 Even with Jones, the U.S. is no sure bet to win either event. In the 4x100 meters semifinal today the U.S. foursome of Chryste Gaines, Torri Edwards, Nanceen Perry and Pashion Richardson finished in a tie for second with Nigeria but behind the Bahamas.

 Perry said Jones would make a big difference in the race.

 "We could get third with no sprint," Perry said. "We'll have Marion here -- no sweat. I know we have talent. We have Marion. We really have an edge."

 It could be harder for the U.S. to win in the 4x400, as Jones is not at her best at that distance.

 The U.S. men's relay teams are in better position to win gold medals Saturday. Anchored by 100-meter gold-medalist Maurice Greene, the men's 4x100 easily advanced to Saturday's final with a time of 37.82 seconds -- the only sub-38 mark in two rounds.

 The men's 4x400 team was without gold-medalist and world 400 record-holder Michael Johnson, but Alvin Harrison, brother Calvin, Angelo Taylor and Jerome Young won their semifinal heat with an easy 2:58.78.

 Even without Johnson, who is expected to run in the final, the American team has plenty of speed. Alvin Harrison finished second to Johnson in the 400 and Taylor won gold in the 400-meter hurdles.

 There are nine medal events in the track and field competition Saturday. In addition to the four relays, medals will be contested in the women's high jump, women's 1,500 meters and 10,000 meters, women's javelin and the men's 5,000 meters.

 Six medal events also will be held in both canoe-kayak and boxing, while four will be contested in freestyle wrestling.

 The U.S. women also will meet Australia for the gold medal in basketball. Unlike their Dream Team counterparts, who struggled to beat Lithuania, 85-83, Friday, the U.S. women had little trouble in beating Korea, 78-65. The Americans may be forced to play Saturday's game without star Sheryl Swoopes, however.

 Swoopes, who led the U.S. with 19 points against Korea, injured her left knee with 3:18 remaining in the game. She was helped to the bench in obvious pain and had her knee iced for the remainder of the contest.

 Jones' third-place finish in the women's long jump was not surprising but nonetheless disappointing. She had never finished higher than third in an international long jump competition, and it was thought that Germany's Heike Dreschler and Italy's Fiona May would give her a run for the gold. They did.

 Dreschler won the event with a leap of 22 feet, 11 1/4 inches, while May and Jones tied for second with 22-8 1/2. May was awarded the silver medal because she did better on her second jump.

 "Sure, I'm disappointed on not winning five gold, but I can look at myself in the mirror and be satisfied with my performance," Jones said. "I did everything I could, but it didn't pan out. I've got no regrets."

 In the final analysis it was her speed that probably cost her the gold medal. She has not been able to harness her speed in the event and she ended up fouling in four of her six jumps.

 On Saturday, however, the U.S. can use all the speed she can muster.