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Beijing, China — Jamaican world record-holder Usain Bolt isn’t the only one with gold track shoes at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

U.S. hurdler Lolo Jones pounded hers into the National Stadium surface today to produce a time of 12.71 seconds and qualify for the semifinals of the 100-meter hurdles.

So what’s the difference between Jones and Bolt, who became the buzz of Beijing by decimating the 100-meter men’s field Saturday despite coasting in celebration the last 15 meters to a record 9.69 seconds?

Jones has more mileage on her gold shoes.

That, and Bolt has a gold medal to match.

“I’ve been wearing my shoes now for almost two years,” said Jones, a Des Moines native. “I’ve been wearing these shoes when I was getting fifth and sixth place.

“I remember I had to look at these shoes every day at practice and I was like, ‘Look Lolo, you better start winning, because you can’t be wearing no gold shoes getting fifth and sixth place.’

“So maybe he copied me.”

Jones’ time was fourth-fastest among the 40 hurdlers in five heats.

It seemed like Jones might continue to run around the stadium known as the “Bird’s Nest” just to burn excess energy.

Jones bounced around in post-race interviews like someone who had polished off six cups of coffee.

“I’m glad to finally be able to run,” said Jones, 26, a former all-American at LSU and reigning 60-meter hurdles world indoor champion. “We’ve been sitting around the village for two weeks now, so it’s like, ‘C’mon, when do we get to run?’

“I got one under my belt and I’m good to go. My body knows what to do — it’s kind of like automatic pilot right now.”

Jones admitted that stepping into the starting blocks in front of 91,000 Olympic spectators tested her nerves.

“It was different and I felt that in the warmup room,” Jones said. “Just because this is my first Olympic experience. And I had to keep telling myself, ‘Look, you know you’ve run in front of crowds 80,000-, 90,000-plus.

“This is no different, you know? Just because it’s called the Olympics, calm down. My mind was going kind of crazy on me. I had to like, slap it into place real quick.”

The frenzied scene slowed down in Jones’ mind, just at the right time.

“There’s always like a calm before the storm,” she said. “Right before you’re about to get in the blocks and your body is like, ‘You know what, I’ve done this so many times, I know what to do — let’s go.’ ”

Walking off the track felt even better than walking on, Jones said.

“Everything’s clicking just right,” she said. “I’m in the best shape ever in my life. I’m just ready to run fast now.”

No one is unbeaten in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, so the field that is set in Monday’s semifinals is expected to establish a high-drama final Tuesday.

Jones hopes to keep her golden shoes in the spotlight — even if she did miss Bolt’s record-breaking, chatter-fueling run.

“I was trying to get my beauty sleep,” Jones said. “I need to YouTube it or something.”

Source: Des Moines Register