Lolo will grace the February cover of Runner's World magazine:
Here's also a video about the shoot:
Twinlab® Fuel is excited to announce its sponsorship of USA Track & Field star Lori "Lolo" Jones.
After graduating from Louisiana State University as an All-American track champion with a degree in economics, she faced a difficult decision: find a job in her field of study, or chase after her athletic dream, potentially with no pay. She chose her dream.
In 2008, she won her second straight USA Indoor Championship, as well as the World Indoor Championship, and was favored to win the 100-meter hurdle at the 2008 Olympics at Beijing. She was in the lead to win the gold medal when she tragically stumbled on the 9th hurdle, leaving her with a 7th place finish. But despite her disappointment, Lolo emerged from Beijing with incredible poise, sportsmanship, and more determination than ever to fulfill her dream.
Off the track, Lolo's life is a story of inspiring perseverance despite many challenges. Her training in track and field was her one constant in a life of continual upheaval—moving eight times in eight years as a child, facing homelessness and hardship. Lolo’s single mother raised her family of six by working two jobs, while Lolo’s father spent most of her childhood either in the Air Force or jail.
Lolo has maintained her focus in spite of trials on and off the track, and now has set her sights on the 2012 Olympics in London.
To get her in peak physical shape, Twinlab will provide Lolo with several sports nutrition products and nutritional supplements, including: Twinlab’s Endurance Fuel, Creatine Fuel, Glutamine Fuel, Pure Fuel and Electrolyte Fuel, as well as Twinlab DrGreene Multi, Twinlab Joint Krill and Twinlab TeaZen white tea concentrates.
Source: Twinlab
World indoor 60 metres hurdles champion Lolo Jones will compete for the United States at the Aviva International Match in Glasgow on Jan 31.
Jones has her eyes on next summer's World Championships in August where she is aiming to atone for the heartbreak of stumbling when leading in the Olympic 100m hurdles final and dropping to seventh place.
The 26-year-old's season began brilliantly when she claimed the world indoor title in Valencia, but it was marred in Beijing where she clipped the penultimate hurdle and lost the gold medal.
She will start her new campaign eager to better her previous two performances at the Kelvin Hall venue where she has finished runner-up on both occasions.
UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos welcomed Jones' return to Glasgow.
He said: "These meetings are all about giving our best British athletes the chance to compete against the best in the world and – despite her huge disappointment in Beijing – it is clear that Lolo Jones was the best female high hurdler over the course of last season."
De Vos revealed that Jones will also compete at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on Feb 21, and added: "Whoever lines up against her in Glasgow and Birmingham will get a perfect illustration of the level they need to be aiming for."
The format of the Aviva International Match sees elite athletes – more accustomed to competing for individual glory – having to earn points for their country.
Teams competing are Great Britain and Northern Ireland, USA, Germany, Sweden and a Commonwealth Select.
Source: Telegraph
Lolo Jones catches us up on what she's been up to during her brief but well-deserved holiday.
Hi again,
Refreshed after an end-of-season break it seems a long time since by last IAAF diary piece. I’ve been away for a short break to Jamaica and then to Las Vegas but my main vacation was in Brazil. We stayed on the island on Florianopolis and it was very laid back and a good place to surf. I’d never been to Brazil before and it was just what I needed, a totally relaxing holiday, after the constant flow of media demands since Beijing.
I returned to training about a week ago and, surprisingly, it has so far gone better than expected. Normally when in my off-season I’m on the couch eating junk food and watching TV for a month, but because it was Olympic year I’ve never stopped. I actually took a month and a half off which was more than usual, but I think because I was rushing around with speaking and media engagements I managed to keep the weight off and started training again having lost some weight!
I feel invigorated for the next year and I’m really looking forward to the World Championships in Berlin. Germany is one of my favourite places to run because their crowds are pretty wild and so knowledgeable about athletics.
I’ve also managed to pick up a couple of sponsors since the Olympic Games and I’m featured in a commercial for a mattress company. They have used my name to sell Low Low prices - instead of Lolo - and the commercial is going to be shown in the southern states, which I’m pretty excited about. They have also given me a beautiful mattress, which is supposed to put the air back into your body. It is worth around $10,000 and is the most expensive mattress I’ve ever had!
I’m also going to Japan in December where my sponsors, Asics, are going to mould me a specific custom made pair of Lolo shoes. I’m so excited by the project because I have really high arches and my feet are so slender and narrow people call by feet skis. The colour? Well, I don’t know yet but Asics switch up their colours from hot pink to gold, so we’ll just have to see.
As for now it is back to the hard slog of training and back out for the indoor season. I hope to start competing again in early February, although I’m undecided about whether to do the US indoor circuit for the first time or the European indoor circuit, which I love.
Lolo
Source: IAAF
Back from a disappointing finish at the Beijing Olympics LoLo Jones keeps her champion spirit alive by spending time with kids at the House of Mercy in Des Moines.
The World Indoor 60m hurdles champion, who shot to worldwide fame when she tripped on a hurdle whilst leading the Olympic final in Beijing, tells spikesmag.com about the tough disjointed upbringing that formed the basis of her success as an elite athlete.
“My mum was pretty broke all the time and moved around from job to job while my dad was in and out of prison. My mum had five kids to look after and would take a temporary job and we often could not afford to pay the rent. We moved around so much I lived in eight houses in eight years.
“My mum always made sure we had food in our bellies. She had a part college education, so took secretarial jobs but they were often temporary jobs
“My dad may have been in and out of jail but he was a very good father when he was around. We would see him one year and then he would not be around for three. As a kid you don’t know that’s not regular. We would visit him to jail but often never know the reason why he was in.
“For a spell we were homeless and so lived in the basement of a church. When day camps were offered at church I woke up early to avoid being teased be the other kids in case they found out I was living in a basement.
“I was always very independent, a real bookworm but I was always involved in sport. I started off playing basketball and started my athletics life in sixth grade as a long distance runner.
“At High School I was always very academic and I had the chance of an academic scholarship in science but it conflicted with my athletics. If you asked me to choose between a science competition and a track meeting, I would always run at the track meet. I saw track as the way I could get an education and a free scholarship.
“I’m very close to my sister and all my siblings were pretty athletic they just had other distractions and could not keep their focus at school.
“I played the violin and cello but often could not keep practicing because of my other interests. I still play now but just for recreation.
“My mum wanted to move to Forest City in Iowa but I would not leave my High School because Forest City did not have a track. I lived with four families in four years to pursue my track and field career and my mum was totally supportive.
“It was hard living with different families. I had to become accustomed to their rules and sometimes it could be very strained, particularly as I was a teenager at the time.
“My mum is also called Lori like me, I get called Lolo to avoid any confusion. She is very proud of me but I’m sure she would be proud of me whatever I would have done in my life.
"Athletics has saved my life in three ways. First it has got me out of poverty. Second it has got me a free education, and third it has become one of the joys of my life. Even when I'm working out and being sick I enjoy it. I love pushing my body to the limits of what it's capable of."
Source: Spikes Magazine
By Pat Shaver
About 250 middle school students representing 46 schools attended the Super-Power Summit at the Polk County Convention Complex on Wednesday, an all-day event aimed at teaching them how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
And guess who had them jumping and stretching?
"You only get one body to live your life in, and you have to get out and be active," said Olympic athlete Lolo Jones, keynote speaker of the event.
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Before she spoke, Jones taught the kids a few different exercises.
"I run track, and I'm a little tired," she said after the exercises.
Jones compared the body to a race car. Drivers, she said, fill up their cars with premium gas and don't leave the car in the garage until the day of the race.
Each school had two to nine students at the event.
Carrie Scheidel, a member of Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids, which helped plan and fund the event, said the goal was for the students to take what they learned back to their peers.
"Middle school kids have a lot of pressures. Nutrition and physical activity can really help them shine," Scheidel said.
Each school that attended is eligible to apply for a grant for up to $1,500. Scheidel said the students will meet with a teacher and come up with a wellness plan for their school and then apply for the grant.
The hope is for the students to create small changes that they can keep going over the school year, Scheidel said. The grants are funded by the Midwest Dairy Council, Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids and the Iowa Department of Education.
Jayde Murray, 13, from Goodrell Middle School, said she is going to try to get her friends and family to exercise more, and avoid fast food.
"I was excited to hear about what else you could do to exercise, and you can get more energetic from eating fruits and vegetables," Murray said.
Nicole Gibson, 13, and Colby Knight, 14, from Urbandale Middle School, hope to influence their peers to get outside and eat healthy.
"If you give up a short-term pleasure for long-term gain, it can help you be a better athlete," Gibson said.
Jones said her favorite foods were chicken wings, baby carrots and cottage cheese. Her hero is her assistant Kim, who used to run track and has always been an inspiration.
"Just because you're from Iowa doesn't mean you can't be a superstar at the national level," Jones said. "That never deterred me from my dreams. I never gave up."
Source: The Des Moines Register
By Pat Curtis
Olympian Lolo Jones talks with kids in Des Moines.Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones, who grew up in Des Moines, made her first public appearances in Iowa Wednesday since her agonizing exit from the summer games.
Jones paid a visit to a Des Moines inner-city shelter for women and children. She posed for pictures, handed out plastic gold medals to the kids and even participated in a sack race...which she won.
"Yeah, ya know, I finally pulled off a victory, so I'm excited about that," Jones joked after crossing the finish line. "Can I please have my medal?" In Beijing this summer, Jones had a commanding lead in the finals of the 100-meter hurdles, before she clipped one of the last hurdles and stumbled to a 7th place finish.
It was a painful moment, but Jones says it's made her a stronger person. The mistake likely cost Jones from landing millions of dollars worth of endorsements. "(Winning the Olympics) would have been life-changing for me, but instead of life-changing in bank deposits, it's life-changing in character lessons. I'll take that," Jones said. The 26-year-old Jones is planning another Olympic run in 2012.
Lolo Jones competes in sack race."Hurdlers normally peak between the ages of 28 to 33. I'll turn 30 that summer, so I'll be in my prime," Jones said. A public ceremony to honor Jones is scheduled for Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.
Listen to a short interview here.
Source: Radio Iowa
Taken at a kid charity event in Des Moines on October 8, 2008
'As far as all of us are concerned, she's a winner,' fan says
A gold medal may have eluded Lolo Jones in Beijing, but she garnered a golden moment in her homecoming to Des Moines on Friday.
An overflow crowd of about 400 people came out to the Jordan Creek Amphitheater in West Des Moines to welcome the Olympic hurdler home. After a brief ceremony, she went inside to sign autographs for a line of people that stretched at least 200 feet long.
It seemed like all 400 people had a Lolo story to tell. Janet Bannister of Des Moines remembered Jones from 10 years ago. Bannister's son, Chris, and Jones both were track runners at Roosevelt High School, and Jones had dinner at the Bannisters' home once.
"She was the first and only girl my son brought home for dinner," Bannister said. "She was just very beautiful, a warm, friendly person, and shy. Very polite. A great sense of humor."
Bannister said she admired Jones.
"I just love this woman. She didn't have an easy life. She makes you proud to be from Iowa," Bannister said. "It was a wonderful feeling (watching the Olympics) just to know that I had met her. As far as all of us are concerned, she's a winner."
Mykal Sadler, 10, had a Drake Relays champions flag to be autographed on Friday. Mykal was reaching out from the front row to high-five Jones during her victory lap at the 2006 Relays when Jones handed her the flag.
And Mykal and a friend, Nadine Phanfil, ran on the Des Moines Youth track team. It's not only the same team that Jones ran on, but Phanfil's mother, Kendra, was a teammate of Jones.
"We have all of her clippings," said Mykal's mother, Eleena. "Then, when we found out this summer that Lolo ran for Des Moines Youth, that made the connection even more so."
Nadine said that she'd like to follow in Jones' speedy footsteps.
"I really want to be fast and have all the records," she said.
Twins Brianna and Lauren Kline, 11, waited in line with their mother and two toddler sisters. Brianna had a photo of Jones that she wanted to get autographed.
"I want something to show my sisters when they grow up," Brianna said.
Patti Cale-Finnegan and daughter Alice, 7, wanted an Olympic souvenir hat autographed.
"My daughter was born in China and we visited in 2007," Cale-Finnegan said. "It was kind of cool that it was in China, so we paid attention with everything that was going on with the Olympics. And Lolo Jones is such a wonderful role model; she's amazing."
The welcome-back ceremony lasted about a half-hour. Jim Hallihan of the Iowa Games presented Jones with the Games' sportsmanship gold medal that read "Pursuing victory with honor."
An unscripted moment during the ceremony came courtesy of Jay Triplett, 74, of Winterset.
Dressed as Uncle Sam - complete with a white beard, a stars-and-stripes hat, a blue coat, and red and white striped pants - Triplett grabbed the microphone and sang "God Bless Lolo" to Jones.
Jones, who earlier attended an assembly at Roosevelt High School, said she was wowed by the good wishes she has received since returning to Des Moines.
"I am so glad that people came out to support me," Jones said.
"The Olympics were six weeks ago. For people to come out and tell me that I've inspired them - I love it. There's other people that received medals and didn't receive any kind of welcoming home from their own cities. It's amazing. I'm truly blessed to be from Iowa."
Source: The Des Moines Register
Lolo Jones returned to Iowa and thrilled Roosevelt High School students with a surprise visit to her alma mater and signed autographs for hours at Jordan Creek Town Center.
Lolo greets hundreds of fans at Jordan Creek. She was scheduled to sign autographs until 7 p.m., but stayed later because the line was so long.
Earlier on Friday Lolo made a surprise visit to her alma mater and thrilled fans at a Roosevelt pep assembly.
Crossing her fingers, Lolo Jones laughed as she reacted to question from Channel 13 Sports Director Keith Murphy. Jones was interviewed moments before her homecoming celebration held at the amphitheater at Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines on Friday, Oct. 10th.
Lolo Jones smiled as she held out for the crowd to see the medal that was presented to her by Jim Hallihan, executive director of the Iowa Sports Foundation.
Lolo Jones signed a 2008 Beijing Olympics shirt for David Weiss, of Urbandale, at her homecoming celebration held at Jordan Creek Town Center.
Bea Winters, of Adel, held a copy of the Des Moines Register with a photo of Lolo Jones as Winters attended the homecoming celebration.
Lolo Jones acknowledged the applause of the crowd at her homecoming celebration held at the amphitheater at Jordan Creek Town Center.
Jordan Selmer, age 12 of Story City, signed a large card for Lolo Jones at her homecoming celebration.
Lolo Jones addressed the crowd at her homecoming celebration held at the amphitheater at Jordan Creek Town Center.
Lolo Jones smiled as she waved and held out for the crowd to see the medal that was presented to her by Jim Hallihan, executive director of the Iowa Sports Foundation.
Lolo Jones, right, pumped her fist as she was serenaded by Jerry Triplett, of Winterset, who dressed as Uncle Sam sang as song with his own lyrics about Jones.
Lolo Jones, center right, talked with Keith Murphy, Channel 13 Sport Director, at her homecoming celebration held at the amphitheater at Jordan Creek Town Center.
Holding her Iowa Games medals, Morghan Jackson, age 8 from Urbandale, posed with Lolo Jones at Jones' homecoming celebration.
Lolo Jones, right, autographed her poster for Jennifer Stilwell, age 7 of East Des Moines, at Jones' homecoming celebration.
Lolo Jones smiled as she held up letter with art work given to her by Jessica Stilwell, of Urbandale, at Jones' homecoming celebration.
Lolo Jones reacted to the cheers from the crowd at her homecoming celebration held at the amphitheater at Jordan Creek Town Center.
Source: The Des Moines Register
Olympic Hurdler Brushes Off Beijing Disappointment
Olympic track and field star Lolo Jones visited West Des Moines Friday to thank the fans who supported her as she competed in Beijing.
While she didn't return home with the medal she wanted, fans were proud of the grace she showed following her heartbreaking breakdown in the hurdles.
"She never gave up, even when she fell," said fan Mikayle Zmolek.
"Lolo is just a great role model," said fan Herb Ewing. "Not just for children, but parents, too."
Jones told fans that her Olympic disappointment was just another hurdle in her life's storied struggles.
"I've been through struggles before," she said. "There were so many times I did not win." .
Jones said she's been taking time off since her last race in mid-September. She's been speaking to groups, signing autographs and raising money for charity. She's also been helping Iowa flood victims and basking in the support of the fans.
"I don't have a medal, but I feel like I did receive the medal," she said. "It's crazy. I love it!"
Check out the video here.
What a beautiful young lady and a 1st class athlete. Our very own LoLo Jones a remarkable and beautiful athlete who will forever grace our hearts with her courage, her perservance, and her generous loving heart. At her home coming rally tonight, sports anchor Keith Murphy shared with the audience not just of LoLo's struggles as a young girl growing up and her journey mastering her sport - a hurdles runner- but her generous spirit that led her to give the money she had received to a survivor of the Iowa flood of 2008. 
Source: Boomerang
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Olympic Hurdler Set For Sports Show Appearance
Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones is thanking fans in her hometown of Des Moines.
Jones visited children at the House of Mercy day care center on Wednesday. She posed for pictures with the children, played games and handed out medals to all the participants.
Jones is also scheduled to appear on the Iowa Sports Hero show on Thursday.
Source: KCCI
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
Des Moines native and track star Lolo Jones spoke to Principal Financial Group employees in downtown Des Moines about her 2008 Olympic experience, inspiration and achieving goals. To start the video at the beginning, simply click on the Lolo Jones entry at the top of the On-Demand list.
Source: The Des Moines Register
Des Moines Olympian Lolo Jones will attend a homecoming celebration Friday at Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.
The hurdler who graduated from Des Moines Roosevelt will be on hand from 5-7 p.m. to give away some unique prizes, pose for pictures, sign autographs and more. WHO TV-13 sports director Keith Murphy will emcee a brief program.
The event and parking are free.
Source: The Des Moines Register