LoloWiki

Normally, at this time of the year Lolo Jones would already be enjoying a well deserved holiday but this is no normal year – in all respects – and Lolo will have to wait a little bit longer before she can fly to the Caribbean or Mexico…

“I thought my life was hectic on the road during the season but it has been even busier since the season ended.

“I can’t believe how crazy I’ve been with so many speaking engagements and so much media interest, especially considering I never even won a medal in Beijing.

“I’ve only been back home to Baton Rouge for five days – and even then it has only been for an odd day at a time.

“There is a lot of media lined up in my home state of Iowa and I also appeared on the Bonnie Hunt show, which is a national day-time talk show. Normally I can sit down at the end of a season and go on vacation but not this time, at least not yet.

“I’ve also managed to pick up some external sponsors and made some money for being an athlete away from the track, which I suppose is every athlete’s dream.

“Next, well I hope it is not too long until I do have that vacation. I normally get the chance to chill out and do nothing for five weeks in the off-season and hopefully it won’t be long before I book a holiday in the Caribbean or Mexico.

“I have at least had the chance to indulge in a few things I normally wouldn’t during the off-season – in fact I’ve had the diet of a five-year-old!

“I’ve been eating things like spaghetti hoops and cup cakes, although thankfully my weight doesn’t fluctuate too much and when I return to training on November 3 I hope I won’t be too big!

“Yet what I have done and what I am doing is largely irrelevant after a huge shadow has been cast over my off-season following the tragic death of my friend, LeJuan Simon, who died last week.

“He was a fellow Louisiana State University athlete and I remember the last time I saw him was very skinny when normally he had a very big body build. I knew he had a disease, although he was insistent when we last spoke before the Olympics that he would beat it. I’ll always remember him for his funny, charming, goofy-kind of smile. I was devastated to receive the news.

“Unfortunately, I cannot attend the funeral but my thoughts will always be with him.”

Lolo

*LeJuan Simon, who won the 2004 NCAA indoor triple jump title died in Baton Rouge aged 27 due to complications with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, a condition that creates additional pressure in the pulmonary artery responsible for supplying blood and the necessary oxygen to the lungs. He also represented Trinidad at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Source: IAAF