By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
 SYDNEY -- The Ian Thorpe Show is almost over. The Marion Jones Show is about to begin.

 The greatest swim meet in the history of the world - "You had to set a world record to get a gold medal,'' said Canadian coach Dave Johnson - is about to relinquish the centre ring of the five-ring circus to track and field.

 It's a tough act to follow. But there is no lack of headliners - led by the lady who now dreams daily of winning five gold medals.

 "Every time I take a nap,'' said the Jones girl at a Nike press availability here. "Every time I sit down and relax.

 "Every time I look out the window and see the Olympic rings.

 "It's hard to get away from it.''

 Five medals?

 "I'm not superhuman. I'm not invincible,'' said the American, who also runs relays and competes in the long jump, but who pulled up lame at last year's Worlds in Seville.

 "I'm at the top of my game right now. I think I'm in the best shape of my life. I think when I step on that track for the 100-metre final and the 200-metre final, wonderful things are about to happen.''

 NO LACK

 But just as there were other world- beaters in the pool, there's no lack of them at the track either.

 Like Michael Johnson of the U.S.

 He wants to be the first man in history to win back-to-back Olympic gold at 400 metres.

 "The idea of making history is definitely part of my motivation,'' he says.

 He made history in Seville last year, called his shot and then posed for a picture in front of the Seiko sign at the finish line which read: NEWWR 43.18.

 "I'm in shape right now to run a sub-43 time,'' he said.

 "It has to be done soon. I'm not getting any younger. If everything is right it could be here. I always do well at major championships. I'd like to make the 400 record as difficult to break as everyone says my record in the 200 is,'' he says of the 19.32 time from Atlanta which inspired that World's Fastest Man showdown against Donovan Bailey in SkyDome.

 Johnson predicts the U.S. will go 1-2-3 in the 400 and take gold in the 4 x 400.

 Like American Maurice Greene.

 "Who is the king of the world?'' he shouted out in Seville after he won his third gold medal. '`Who is the king of the world championships?''

 Will he still be '`World's Fastest Man''' in Sydney?

 And how about the other title?

 There are 64 different events with medals at the Olympics or the Worlds but only two titles. One is '`World's Fastest Man.'' The other is ``World's Greatest Athlete.''

 Going into Sydney the '`World's Greatest Athlete'' is Thomas Dvorak of the Czech Republic.

 He's won two straight Worlds but doesn't have an Olympic gold in his collection. He's also shooting for 9,000 points in the event.

 "The calculator in my head is constantly working - 9,000 points is something I think about,'' he says of registering scores between 8,738 and 8,994 in his last six events.

 Then there's Cathy Freeman.

 She won a second straight Worlds in the women's 400 metres to set her up as something special going into her home-country Olympics in Australia. Then they handed her the torch to light the cauldron to open the Games. Can you have any more pressure than that?

 And how about Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj?

 GREATEST EVER?

 Is he the greatest miler ever?

 "My goal is to win four world championships, to be the Olympic champion in Sydney and to hold all the world records between 1,500 and 5,000 metres,'' he said in Spain last year.

 He's won two Worlds but messed up the 1,500 at the Atlanta Olympics.

 Some people consider him the greatest of all Olympians in all sports right now. Maybe he's the man you should watch in Sydney more than any other.

 There's legendary Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia. He won his fourth-straight world title in Seville.

 Almost all of them will be stories in Edmonton next summer. But that's then and this is now and the Olympics are the Olympics.

 Just ask Sergei Bubka, the 36-year-old Ukrainian who won the first six IAAF World Championships in Athletics but no-showed to make it seven last year in Seville.

 He's back. He's only won one Olympic gold, a dozen years ago in Seoul. He wants one more.

 "The Olympic Games are the best thing you can wish for,'' he says.