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 Pat Curtis
Iowa native Lolo Jones will compete in the finals of the Olympic 100-meter hurdles today. The 26 year old Des Moines Roosevelt grad might not have made it there, if not for the generosity of other Iowans.
For example, Marilyn Hauk of Des Moines and her former husband gave Lolo a place to live when she was a junior in high school. At the time, Jones was being recruited by college track coaches across the country and her mother was moving to Forest City.
"Part of the reason we wanted to take her in is that we knew Lolo had the potential to be where she is today," Hauk explained. "We also knew that taking her out of her school and away from her coaches could ruin any chance she would ever have of utilizing that potential."
Hauk says they barely knew Lolo at the time. She was on the Des Moines Area Youth Track Club, as was Hauk's then 10 year old son. Hauk admits it was a "risk" taking a 17 year old girl into their home. "But at the same time, looking at a teenager who's whole life was on the line, we decided it would be a bigger risk to do nothing," Hauk said.
Hauk's quick to point out that Jean and Kim Walker, and later Janice Caldwell, would also welcome Lolo into their homes. A Des Moines orthodontist, Dr. Dennis Kommer, reduced the cost of braces for Lolo and attorney Dwight James handled paperwork, free of charge, to make sure she was covered under Hauk's health insurance.
As Hauk says, "Central Iowans deserve a pat on the back. It was their kindness that helped Lolo get to Beijing." Hauk says Jones hasn't forgotten her Iowa roots. Recently, Jones donated $12,000 to flood victims in Cedar Rapids.
Jones' success on the track this year almost didn't happen. After missing the cut for the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, Jones considered quitting track, since she wasn't making much money in the sport. Jones has degrees in both economics and Spanish from Louisiana State University, where she received a full ride scholarship to run track.
"She's fully qualified to have done anything she wanted to do," Hauk said. "But she followed her heart...this is what she wanted to do. I'm so glad for her that it's paying off." Jones is hoping her hard work will pay off in the form of a gold medal today in Beijing. She posted the fastest time, at 12.43 seconds, in Monday's semifinals.
special note: The 9:30 a.m. (Iowa time) race will not be televised live...however, it will be broadcast by NBC during it's prime-time coverage tonight between 7-9 p.m.
Listen to a short interview here.
Source: Radio Iowa
United States' LoLo Jones reacts after winning a women's 100-meter hurdles semi-final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 18, 2008.
BEIJING -- Lolo Jones of Des Moines, Iowa, ran the fastest women's high hurdles time since the 2004 Olympics, 12.43 seconds, to win her semifinal heat of the 100-meter hurdles Monday night.
Joanna Hayes of the United States won the Athens gold medal in 12.37 seconds.
University of Illinois product Susanna Kallur of Sweden went tumbling to the track in the second semifinal when she failed to get her lead leg over the first hurdle.
U.S. hurdlers had the three fastest times. Damu Cherry won the second heat in 12.62, followed by Dawn Harper in 12.66.
The final is Tuesday.
Source: LA Times
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