By Ian Gordon, PA Sport, Sydney

Marion Jones fell at the third hurdle as her dream of becoming the first woman to win five Olympic golds ended in Sydney.

The American, with the two sprint titles already tucked away, was forced to settle for the bronze in the long jump.

But Jones shed no tears in the Olympic Stadium as she shared in the delight of Germany's Heike Drechsler who regained the crown she won in Barcelona in 1992.

Slough-born Italian Fiona May denied Jones the silver medal with a longer second best jump after they both registered 6.92 metres - seven centimetres adrift of Drechsler.

"I was not thinking about the five golds when I knew I had lost," said Jones.

"I was not looking at the big picture, just wondering how I was going to get that long jump gold.

"I am disappointed with my performance, but I do not regret taking part. There are lots of girls out there who would want my bronze medal. Though it is only fun when you win."

Jones went for bust with her final jump and thought she thought she was still on course for the record books only for it to be ruled a clear foul.

"I did not know it was a foul until I looked back and saw the gentleman raise the red flag and end my dream," Jones said.

Jones could still equal the record of four golds by a woman set by Holland's Fanny Blankers-Koen at Wembley Stadium in the 1948 Games.

The Los Angeles-born athlete saw her team-mates qualify for Saturday's finals of the 4x100m and 4x400m relays in her absence today.

"This has not changed my plans for the relay," added Jones, who was also beaten into third in the world championships in Seville last year when she was attempting to win four gold medals.

Jones' has been embroiled in a drugs controversy in Sydney with her husband, world shot put champion CJ Hunter, testing positive for anabolic steroids.

The 24-year-old insisted after her easy victory in the 200m on Thursday night that she was no drugs cheat, though her main problem in the long jump was her technique - or lack of it.

Jones is not a natural jumper and that proved her undoing against the classier former East German Drechsler who was jumping at international level when the American was still at school.

"I think I deserved to be in the competition," added Jones.

"Other people might think otherwise, but the fact is I got the bronze.

"This is not going to make me crawl into a shell and never look at a long jump again.

"This will make me more motivated for next year's world championships and then Athens."

Drechsler, who won her first world title way back in 1983, clinched her second Olympic crown with a third-round effort of 6.99m.

"I am still motivated," said the 35-year-old who has a son aged 10.

"When I missed the worlds last year I wondered what I was doing, but within a few weeks I was picking my spikes up again."

May, a Leeds University graduate who quit Britain because of the lack of facilities and eventually became an Italian citizen, had been hoping to add Games gold to her world championship victory in 1995.

But she was just unable to match her German rival, though her next best effort of 6.82m ensured she finished in the runners-up spot for the second Games in a row by 14cm from Jones.

"This silver means more to me than the other because it was a clean competition," said 30-year-old May, who was beaten in Atlanta by Nigeria's Chioma Ajunwa who had served a four-year drug suspension.

"I am happy because I did what I did four years ago. It was a very hard, very difficult competition. I will be back again next year."