LoloWiki

Lolo will grace the February cover of Runner's World magazine:



Here's also a video about the shoot:

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 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

'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.

Lolo talked with Keith Murphy from WHO TV in Des Moines today.

Watch the video here.

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 Roosevelt track star Lolo Jones became an unintended Olympic icon in Beijing - without reaching the finish line first.

Jones was lauded for courage and character in the toughest of circumstances when she nicked the second-to-last hurdle Aug. 19 with a commanding lead in the women's 100-meter finals, as gold slipped away and she ultimately finished seventh.

The moment was painful, but also eye-opening as everyone from strangers to Dallas Cowboys NFL star Terrell Owens empathized and reached out.

Jones, who returns to Des Moines this week, answered questions Monday about the fateful night in China — and her future.

Question: What did you do that night?

Lolo Jones: "It took me a while to get back. I tried to walk back to (Olympic) Village, because I was so mad that I didn't want to get on the bus. I wanted to cool off. They wouldn't let me walk down the street, even though I had the right passes. I had to take a cab back to Village.

"Angela Whyte, another hurdler and friend from Team Canada, she kind of took me to the side and hung out. The Olympic Village had an arcade. We just kind of played basketball at the arcade. I remember she won and I said, 'I can't even win in basketball.' I was already joking less than three hours later.

"When I went back to my room ... I cried and definitely couldn't get any sleep.

"I'm still learning lessons from that night. It's definitely going to make me stronger for my next Olympics."

Q: So there's definitely another Olympics for you?

LJ: "Yeah, definitely. I want to reassure people about that. In the hurdles, you peak at 28 to 33. We get better as we're older - so the good news is, I'll be at my prime. (Editor's note: She's 26 now.)

"Maybe I have two more Olympics in me. Allen Johnson ran (in the Olympic Trials at 37).

"What helps me, four years ago when I didn't make the team, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is the end of the world,' but those four years flew by so fast."

Q: Who's the most interesting or famous person you heard from after the Olympics?

LJ: "Terrell Owens. He was watching the Olympics with his assistant, who used to work with USA Track & Field. He was like, 'Oh my gosh, I just want to speak with her but I don't know what to say' when he saw me hit the hurdle.

"They called and I went to my first NFL game (Dallas-Washington) and hung out with Terrell. I learned his name is Tear-ell, not Tuh-rell.

"It sucks, though, because the Cowboys lost."

Q: What was Terrell Owens like?

LJ: "I didn't know he was perceived as a showboat or whatever. When I met him, he was cordial, nice and I didn't see any of that.

"The first time we were kind of talking in our meeting, we were watching the LSU-Auburn game. Since I went to LSU, I was rooting for them. He was going for other Tigers since he's from Alabama.

"We bet on the game. I said if I win, he'd have to get me a pink jersey with his number to wear to the game. If he won, I'd wear whatever he wanted me to wear to the game.

"He lost, and sure enough got me a pink jersey with his number and name on it."

Q: What did he say to you about ( the Olympic finals)?

LJ: "He just wanted me to keep my head up for the next Olympics and refocus. I just think it was really cool that he took an interest in my situation.

"He knows as an athlete, when something like that happens - there's not much you can say. You just to reach out and show support, which is the main thing."

Q: Have you watched the race?

LJ: "I've watched the race - one time. After we literally crossed the line at the Olympics (on the JumboTron). I was like, 'What did I do? What did I do technically wrong? I thought, 'Gosh, I didn't realize I was that far ahead.'

"They showed a little of the clip when I was on the 'Bonnie Hunt Show,' but I couldn't watch. It's still just too hard for me to watch right now. Maybe someday, though."

Q: Hurricane Ike battered Baton Rouge (La.) where you, your mother, sister and others live. Was everything OK with you and your family?

LJ: "My house, it was like the hand of God was on top of it. It was like the only house in the neighborhood that didn't have a ton of shingles missing, roofing problems, the fence didn't come down.

"My mom lives, like, five minutes away. There was a tree leaning down on her house, but they pushed it the other way - so they were fine."

Q: What has surprised you most about your time since the Olympics?

LJ: "Just getting recognized in the most random places. In Europe, I'm used to people knowing who I am or asking for my autograph. Coming back to the U.S. all these years, nobody had a clue.

"Now, I go to the grocery store, don't comb my hair and people recognize me. I've got to worry about that more now, huh?"

Source: The Des Moines Register

Olympic Hurdler Lolo Jones talks about the 2012 Olympics.

Lolo Jones stayed overseas after her difficult Olympic finals race, where she clipped a hurdle, but now she's back in Iowa. Lolo made her return public, on SoundOff Sunday night.

Moments after stepping off a plane, the Roosevelt alum joined Keith Murphy and Andy Fales in the Channel 13 studios. She says emails from home helped her get through a rough spot, after losing the gold medal at the summer games.

Lolo told Keith that it was hard to face reporters during interviews after the race, but she knew it was important to have a positive outlook. "In the back of my mind, I'm going to learn so much from this. I'm going to come back stronger and then what's even crazier, I thought about four years ago, not even making the team and how I was devastated in that, I grew from that experience. I know it's a long detour but I'm going to grow from this experience," said Lolo.

Lolo says she's hungry for the next Olympics, but she's also ready to start the next track season here at the Drake Relays.

Source: WHO TV

We all felt for the Des Moines native when she fell in the 100-meter final, and her dreams of Olympic gold were dashed.

But Lolo has already picked herself up, dusted herself off, and proved that she is still the world's number one hurdler.

Ten days after the fall in the Olympic final, Lolo Jones of Des Moines, dominated the 100-meter hurdles in Zurich Switzerland.

Lolo Jones said, "I won that race, and that's what I needed to win to show people like look, if I wouldn't have hit those hurdles, Lolo would have come back with a medal."

But on August 19th, Lolo did hit the second to last hurdle, in the lead, 20 meters from Olympic Gold, slipping to 7th place.

She says she was just trying to do too much.

Jones: "I was trying to not only win a medal but i was trying to break the Olympic record."

She didn't, but Lolo certainly set a record for post-race grace and class, in the face of devastating defeat.

Jones: "Everyone knows at some point in their life they've had something that they wanted so bad and maybe they haven't gotten it or they had to work harder for it. I think that's why so many people can relate to what I've been through."

Cards, letters, email, text messages of support; Lolo has loved them all.

Jones: "It helped when i needed it the most."

She's back in Des Moines, not training, taking time off. Eating anything she wants.

She just turned 26; young for a hurdler.

Jones: "for me, 28 to 33, that's when I'll be at my prime."

Primed and ready to run in London in 20-12.

"Keep your spirits up for me Iowans because I'll be back."

Watch a video of the interview here.

Source: KCCI

Lausanne, Switzerland - This afternoon Dawn Harper, Lolo Jones, Asafa Powell and Dayron Robles spoke to the international press on the eve of the Athletissima meeting (Tue 2 Sep), an IAAF Super Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour.

Lolo Jones is taking the post-Olympic competitions as a time to redeem for the setback she had in Beijing where she crashed into a hurdle finishing seventh in the Olympic final.

Are you still sad for what happened in Beijing?

“Yes, of course I am very sad but getting back to races I am making up for this disappointment. It was the first time this happened because of my mistake.”

What is your goal for the rest of the season ?
“I want to continue to run faster and improve my PB”.

How was your last race in Zürich?

“I was emotionally drained but at the start I regained my rhythm.”

Source: IAAF

Interview with Lolo Jones at Weltklasse Zurich 2008.

Media Talk in Zürich (in Swiss dialect):

Born: August 05, 1982 in Des Moines, IA
Hometown: Des Moines, IA
Residence: Baton Rouge, LA
Ht: / Wt: 5'9" / 150 lbs
Olympics: None
Event(s): 100m hurdles

Bad break in Beijing
Making her Olympic debut, Lolo Jones cruised through the early rounds of the women's 100m hurdles and entered the final as the likely gold medalist. She had the field beaten after eight hurdles but caught her front foot on the penultimate barrier, lost momentum and finished seventh. Of the heartbreak, she said in good spirits, "I usually hit a hurdle maybe twice a year. It just sucks that it happened in the most important race of my life."

Beijing bound
At the 2008 Olympic Trials, Jones was astounding in the 100m hurdles final, executing flawlessly and winning in a wind-aided 12.29 seconds (the wind reading was +3.8 meters per second), tying the No. 2 time ever run under any conditions. In the semifinals, Jones posted a 2008 world-leading mark by winning the second heat in a wind-legal 12.45. Jones is a two-time U.S. Indoor and three-time NCAA champion.

Impressive indoors
Jones capped a stellar indoor season by winning her first world championship in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.80 seconds. Jones also won her second straight U.S. indoor championship, with a strong finish over the final two hurdles earned her a winning time of 7.88, the Visa Series Championship and the accompanying $25,000 prize. Upon securing the Visa win, Jones broke out into a dance on the track at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.

First impressions
After winning the 2007 U.S. Indoor title in the 60m hurdles, Jones made her first national team by finishing third in the 100m hurdles at the U.S. Outdoor Championships. She went on to qualify for the final and placed sixth at the World Championships in Osaka, running a time of 12.88.

Terrific Tiger
A graduate of LSU, Jones brings impressive foot speed to the 100m hurdles. She finished her career at LSU as a three-time national champion and 11-time All-American, where she ranks among the top-three all-time at LSU in both the 60m and 100m hurdles. Jones also has an NCAA title as part of LSU's 4x100m relay in 2004.

Scholastic success
In high school, Jones was named the Gatorade Midwest Athlete of the Year, and holds the 100m hurdles record for the state of Iowa at 13.40 seconds. Jones is of French, African-American, Native American and Norwegian descent.

What's in her name?
Jones and her mother share the same given name: Lori Susan Jones. The legend of Lolo (according to Lolo) is that the phone-answering confusion of "Can I speak to Lori?" led to the clarification "Big Lori or Little Lori?" and "Little Lori"was eventually shortened to "Lolo." According to Big Lori, however, the family called the child Lolo from birth.

Straight from the source: There will be no horse
In the weeks leading up to the 2008 Olympics, an Associated Press story reported that Jones would run a race against a horse. The story was even supported by quotes from her attorney. But at a press conference in Beijing, Jones called the story a misunderstanding, saying people misinterpreted television advertisements she did with a horse for a casino sponsor. "I said things in the commercial like, 'He's fast, but can he hurdle?'" Jones said. "If you look on YouTube, you can probably find video of me talking all big to a horse." (Note: You cannot.)

Source: NBC

Lolo Jones, the favorite in the 100 meter hurdles, talks about hitting the 9th of 10 hurdles and finishing out of contention. (Aug. 20)

BEIJING -– When she failed to make the 2004 Olympic team after being eliminated in the semifinals at the U.S. trials, hurdler Lolo Jones came to a crossroads.

One way would take her toward a job that used her economics degree from LSU, which made more sense financially for a young woman whose family had struggled through poverty.

The other was to continue in track without the help of an apparel sponsor to defray her expenses. Jones, a former prep star in Des Moines, kept running, slowly got better and better, signed a nice deal with Asics and became the fastest hurdler in the world coming into the Olympics.

Less than 20 meters from an Olympic gold medal Tuesday, in a 100-meter high hurdles race she was commanding, Jones literally ran into another frustration.

This time, Jones is looking only at the same path she has been on, hoping it will take her to London for the 2012 Olympics.

"As a hurdler, you don’t normally peak until 28 to 33, and I'm 26,'' Jones said. "I definitely have another Olympics in me.

"You know, it's the hurdles. We're supposed to be the toughest ones. So I'm going to be tough and try again.''


Ironically, what happened may have been a case of Jones getting ahead of herself.

After a slow start, Jones began rolling so well she took an ever-increasing lead but the 33-inch hurdles began coming up on her too fast. She had lost control of her steps by the time she reached the ninth hurdle and smacked into it with her lead leg.

"I didn't have the best start but in the middle I caught everybody and I was catching my rhythm but everything was going too fast,'' she said.

"It's like when you're racing a car, and you're going as fast as you can, and you hit a curve, and either you crash and burn or you maintain control. I crashed and burned today.''

The barrier fell. Jones stumbled but stayed upright as her rivals flew past, leaving her seventh at the finish.

It was then she fell to her knees, clenched her fists in anger as she struggled to comprehend what had happened and finally covered her face with her hands.

"I was shocked. My mind was numb,'' she said. "I worked so hard for this, and it disappeared in less than a second.

"All I could think of was just getting back on my two feet and standing strong.''

Jones did that as she passed through the media interview area, talking for several minutes with a large group of reporters, graciously stopping again to speak with a few others who could not get close enough to hear her.

Her eyes were moist, but she made no excuses, had no complaints, simply explained her misfortune by getting to the essence of the event.

"It's the hurdles,'' she repeated. "If you can't get over all 10, you can't be the champion.''

I disagree.

A champion is the class of the field.

No one in these Olympics has shown any more class than Lolo Jones.

Source: The Los Angeles Times

By Bryce Miller

Beijing, China — Every morning that kids showed up for the church summer camp at the Salvation Army building in Des Moines, Lolo Jones, her sister and brothers were there.

Day after day, Jones bounced around the gymnasium as others walked in.

She owned boundless energy and an infectious smile, but also a guarded secret. The woman picked by some to win the gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the Summer Olympics lived in the basement.

"I remember we had to wake up earlier than when the kids started arriving, so they wouldn't tease us," she said. "Me and my brothers would get up and we'd be in the gym before the other kids got there.

"So it kind of looked like our parents were the first to drop us off at the camp."

These Olympics are positioned to be a global introduction for Jones, a 26-year-old graduate of Roosevelt High School.

Oakley launched a campaign for its "Enduring" sunglasses line that features Jones, the Olympic Trials winner and reigning world champion in the 60-meter indoor hurdles.

The U.S. Olympic Committee will bring three women's track stars to a Thursday news conference with international media: Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards, Olympic silver medalist and world champion Allyson Felix - and Jones.

A life that included homelessness now resonates with world-stage possibility.

"This is not like a Dream Team basketball person that has a multimillion-dollar contract," said Kim Carson, another Roosevelt track star who has helped Jones since junior high school on and off the track and traveled to Beijing. "This is a kid who had nothing."

Growing up, Jones attended eight schools in eight years as her single mother, Lori, bounced between Texas and Iowa, often holding down two jobs to support her children. Jones' father, who spent time in the Air Force and jail, "wasn't really in the picture much," she said.

While in third grade, Jones estimated, the family ended up in the basement of the church.

All the changes eventually became too much for Jones, who decided against a move to Forest City, protesting: "Mom, I can't go to a city that doesn't have a track. I'm trying to pursue my dream."

The decision began a stretch in which Jones lived with three families, including that of Randy Essex, a former assistant managing editor of The Des Moines Register who now works at the Detroit Free Press.

Essex noticed at youth track events his son participated in that no one seemed to be in the stands cheering Jones, a blossoming star.

"It was a really family-oriented club," Essex said. "I asked (the club organizer) after practice why there were no parents or adults around Lolo."

That conversation eventually led to Jones moving in with Essex and his family for about 16 months, beginning in August 1998.

"When she moved in with us, it was obviously a difficult situation for her," Essex said. "We were almost strangers."

Essex watched, impressed, as Jones quietly focused on decision after decision. She worked at track. She worked at school. She worked at her job at the Iowa Bagel Bakery near 42nd Street and University Avenue.

"Just a hard-working, dependable kid," he said.

Jones also lived with Kim Walker, a Des Moines attorney, and his wife, Jean.

Walker watched, proudly, last month as Jones returned to Roosevelt to hand over new track shoes and a $12,000 check to Renee Trout, a flood victim and single mother from Cedar Rapids.

"That's as good a role model as we can ask for, don't you think?" Walker said.

When high school ended, Jones landed a spot on the track team at Louisiana State University - a national powerhouse. At LSU, the uniqueness of her situation revealed itself to Jones for the first time.

Other LSU students packed up belongings to go home for the holidays. Jones paused.

"I was like, 'Wait, I don't have a bedroom to go (to) back home,' " Jones said.

LSU coach Dennis Shaver knew the family faced financial challenges, but said "she never complained."

When Jones graduated, she worked minimum-wage jobs to keep chasing an Olympic track dream - an experience she said was more difficult than being temporarily homeless.

"It was more hard for me to swallow my pride and take out garbage at a gym when I had an economics degree and Spanish minor," she said.

"I had people come up to me, like, 'Didn't you graduate? What are you doing working at this gym?' I was like, 'I'm trying to do this track thing. If I get a 9-to-5 (job), I won't have flexibility to leave the country and go to these competitions.' "

When Jones missed a spot in Athens after falling during the 2004 Olympic Trials, Shaver became a salesman for Jones.

Shaver told the big-time track sponsors, "her day will come if given the opportunity."

That day did come.

Jones remembers walking to school, during brutal Iowa winters, because the family didn't own a car. Now she's sponsored by Oakley and Asics - and has the ability to focus on track full time.

"My life changed," Jones said. "I went from eating ramen noodles to steak, fish and chicken - what an athlete should be eating."

Sponsorships allowed her routine access to massages, chiropractors and the tools other elite athletes use to maintain peak condition.

"It just helped me get the things an athlete needs to be successful," Jones said of the sponsors. "A businessman needs a laptop. Athletes need massages and the right diet."

Jones talks freely about the struggles that led her to China, where she begins competition Sunday in the preliminaries of the 100-meter hurdles.

"A lot of it is, she's not ashamed of it," Carson said. "Her mom's been honest with her. She understands the struggle of a single parent."

In the end, Jones continued to push, balked at chances to quit and traveled from a basement to the ultimate sports stage in Beijing.

"Lolo Jones is a great American story," Essex said. "You don't get that many anymore, with people who grew up poor and seize every opportunity. And she really did."

Source: The Des Moines Register