Athletes > Lolo Jones > Bio

Olympic debut
Lolo Jones will make her Olympic debut for the United States this summer in Beijing, where she will be the gold-medal favorite in the women's 100m hurdles. The two-time U.S. Indoor and three-time NCAA champion will attempt to continue the country's recent success in the event, which includes medal victories in four of the last six Games.

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. 

Eric Feferberg/Getty Images

Lolo Jones clears the hurdles during the World Championships in Osaka.

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.)