It's not often you see a hurdler signing autographs behind him before leaving the track.
EUGENE, Ore. — It's not often you see a hurdler signing autographs at the back before leaving the track.
In this case, that hurdler was Lolo Jones.
The 41-year-old Jones was once one of the leading lights of athletics, with numerous sponsorship deals and high hopes for the 2008 Olympics. He stumbled at the ninth hurdle in Beijing and finished seventh, but he was still a huge star.
She is still loved by her fans.
On Friday, she competed in the 100-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. Jones finished last in the heats, which wasn't a huge surprise, but she did advance to the semifinals. In fact, because two athletes didn't qualify, all of the athletes who finished in the 10 hurdles advanced to the semifinals.
Jones' time of 14.86 seconds was not particularly fast — her best time is 12.43 — but it had been about six weeks since she tore her hamstring and she hadn't done much hurdling since then.
“Toradol is the official sponsor of 40 year olds,” Jones joked about the painkiller.
Going into the race, her biggest fear wasn't about going fast, but whether she would be able to finish.
“I was scared, I raced horribly,” Jones said. “It was the scariest thing I've ever been through in my career. I know that sounds crazy.”
Jones, a Summer and Winter Olympian, said the politics of another sport — bobsledding — drew her back to the hurdles. She was greeted with loud cheers as she took to the track.
“I thought so much time had passed that everyone had forgotten,” said Jones, who first competed at the Olympic Trials in 2004. “I was terrified on the starting line, so to have people remember me and yell my name means the world to me.”
What was she doing here, past what many thought was her prime and the end of her career?
It just proved she could still compete.
“If you don't make the team in your 20s, it can sometimes feel like your life is over. I want to show the younger athletes that you can qualify for the Olympic Trials even in your 40s,” Jones said. “I hope that the athletes who come after me are capable of competing at their best even in their 40s.”
Nia Ali, 35, a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, also advanced to the semi-finals. Ali, who was already qualified for the semi-finals, easily cleared the hurdles in a time of 20.38 seconds.
Jones is hopeful to be in the starting line-up for Saturday's semi-final, barring any hamstring issues of course.
“I'll see how I feel,” Jones said. “If I wake up and I'm really sore, I might withdraw. But if I feel good, I'll give it a go.”
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
