On a bright, spring afternoon yesterday, the world's most gifted track and field athlete had tears in her eyes as she watched teams of schoolchildren run and jump in an indoor arena on the eve of the Athletics World Cup.

``I'm coming back home, I feel,'' Jones said. ``Just walking on the soil and touching the little kids and just seeing the land. This is the original continent and these are the original people and this is the original species.''

Jones will run in the 200 metres today, the 100 tomorrow and sign off in the three-day competition on Sunday with the long jump. She will represent the United States in the four-yearly team competition which also features Russia, Germany and composite teams from the Americas, Africa, Europe, Oceania and Asia.

Jones will be running at altitude for the first time here and, despite the rigours of a long, demanding season, hopesfor at least one personal best.

``I still haven't run sub-21.76 (at 200 metres) and I hope to do that in Johannesburg because that's the only personal record I haven't gotten this year," she said.