<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: georgia, times, 'times new roman', serif; ">It was a major achievement for Reese, who could easily have been lost to track and field. She was considering offers for basketball scholarships when her mother, Carla Young, made a fateful decision for her: Stick with track and field, at the University of Mississippi.</p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: georgia, times, 'times new roman', serif; ">"My mom fell in love with Ole Miss and they were still in contact with me while I was in my community college," Reese said. "I sat down with her and she told me track is what I needed to do - and Mamma knows best, so that's what i did."</p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: georgia, times, 'times new roman', serif; ">Now that she's the reigning Olympic and world champion indoors and out - and is third all-time in the U.S. behind Joyner-Kersee and Marion Jones in terms of longest jumps - she could be excused for thinking about another career change.</p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: georgia, times, 'times new roman', serif; ">But that's not likely before the 2016 Games in Rio.</p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: georgia, times, 'times new roman', serif; ">"I feel like this is just the beginning," the 25-year-old Reese said. "I am going to train four more years and come back and hopefully defend my title."</p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: georgia, times, 'times new roman', serif; ">She dedicated the London Olympic title to the people of Mississippi and others who are still rebuilding in the wake of the deadly and devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005.</p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: georgia, times, 'times new roman', serif; ">She does what she can - during the 2011 Thanksgiving season, Reese purchased 100 turkeys to be given away to help the homeless near her hometown of Gulfport, Miss - but the gold medal is special.</p>