Lolo Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
LoLo Jones
OLY

Jones at the 2008 Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa
Personal information
Birth name	Lori Susan Jones
Nickname(s)	LoLo
Nationality	American
Born	(1982-08-05) August 5, 1982 (age 42) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Height	5 ft 9 in
Weight	135 pounds (61 kg)–160 pounds (73 kg)
Sport
Sport	Track and field, bobsleigh
Event(s)	100 m hurdles, two-woman
College team	Louisiana State University
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m 11.24 (Stuttgart 2006) 100 m hurdles 12.43 (2008 Olympic Games)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing the  United States World Indoor Championships Gold 2008 Valencia 60 m hurdles Gold 2010 Doha 60 m hurdles IAAF World Athletics Final Gold 2008 Stuttgart 100 m hurdles NACAC Championships Gold 2015 Costa Rica 100 m hurdles Women's bobsleigh Representing  United States World Championships Gold 2013 St. Moritz Mixed team Gold 2021 Alternberg Two-woman

Lori Susan "Lolo" Jones, born on August 5, 1982, is an amazing American athlete. She is famous for competing in two different sports at the highest level: hurdles in track and field and bobsledding. She is one of the few athletes who has competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games!

Lolo has won many awards in her career. She earned gold medals at the World Indoor Championships in 2008 and 2010 for the 60-meter hurdles. She also won gold in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 World Athletics Final. In bobsledding, she won gold medals at the World Championships in 2013 (mixed team event) and 2021 (two-woman bobsled).

She represented the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics for track and field. She then competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics for bobsledding. Besides sports, Lolo has also appeared on several reality TV shows, like Dancing with the Stars and Celebrity Big Brother.

Early Life and Education

Lolo Jones was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Her childhood was not always easy. Her single mother worked very hard to support Lolo and her five siblings. They moved many times, and for a while, they even lived in the basement of a Salvation Army church. Lolo would wake up early to avoid other kids seeing where she lived.

When her family planned to move again, Lolo told her mom she needed to stay where there was a track for her dream of becoming an athlete. She ended up living with different families while attending Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines. These families and her coach, Phil Ferguson, helped her a lot. Teachers at Roosevelt High School also made sure she took the right classes for college.

Lolo was a great student at Roosevelt. She played the cello in the school orchestra and kept her grades high. She set a record at the Iowa state track meet in the 100-meter hurdles. After high school, she went on to earn college degrees in economics and Spanish.

College Track and Field Career

Lolo Jones decided to attend Louisiana State University (LSU) for college. She followed in the footsteps of her role model, Kim Carson, who was also a successful hurdler at LSU. Lolo joined the LSU track team.

During her time at LSU, Lolo achieved a lot. In 2002, she was runner-up in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 4 × 100-meter relay at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2003, she won the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She was also part of the winning 4 × 100-meter team at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

In 2004, she continued her success, winning the 100-meter hurdles title at several championships. She won another national title as part of the 4 × 100-meter team at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Overall, Lolo was an 11-time All-American and a 6-time SEC champion at LSU. She is still one of the top three women in LSU history for both the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles.

After college, Lolo faced a tough decision. She didn't qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics and thought about quitting track. But her coach encouraged her to keep going. She also had to decide between focusing on track or getting a regular job with her economics degree. To save money while training, she worked several part-time jobs, including at Home Depot and as a personal trainer.

Professional Track and Field Career

Early Professional Success

After college, Lolo started her professional track career. In 2006, she had a great year, winning a meet in Belgium and setting a personal best time of 12.56 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. She finished the year ranked fourth in the U.S. and seventh in the world.

In 2007, Lolo won her first national championship in the 60-meter hurdles. She also won the 100-meter hurdles at the Drake Relays. She earned a spot on the U.S. Team for the World Championships in Japan, where she finished sixth.

Jones at the 2008 Bislett Games

Olympic Challenges and Triumphs

Lolo started 2008 hoping to make the 2008 Summer Olympics team. She won the 60-meter hurdles at the World Indoor Championships in Spain, earning her first world championship title.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lolo was expected to win the 100-meter hurdles. However, she hit the second-to-last hurdle and stumbled, finishing in seventh place. This was a very difficult moment for her. Later, doctors found that a spinal problem was affecting her ability to feel her feet, which likely caused the stumble. She had surgery to fix this, and it was successful.

Despite the Olympic setback, Lolo went on to win gold at the 2008 World Athletics Final. In 2010, she defended her 60-meter hurdles Indoor World Title in Qatar, setting a new American record with a time of 7.72 seconds.

Jones during 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha

2012 London Olympics

In June 2012, Lolo placed third in the 100-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic trials. This qualified her for the 2012 Summer Olympics team in London.

At the London Olympics, Lolo won her heat in the 100-meter hurdles. She made it to the finals and finished fourth with a time of 12.58 seconds.

Recent Track and Field Achievements

In May 2013, Lolo won her first race of the season at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo. In 2015, she won the 100-meter hurdles at the NACAC Championships in Costa Rica.

Lolo returned to outdoor competition in March 2020 after three years. She won both the 100-meter hurdles and the 100-meter dash at the Mississippi College Season Opener.

In January 2023, at 40 years old, Lolo set a new Masters World Record for women aged 40 and over. She ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.38 seconds in a preliminary round and then improved her own record to 8.35 seconds in the finals.

Bobsledding Career

Lolo Jones started bobsledding after the 2008 Olympics. She was introduced to the sport by fellow athlete Elana Meyers. In October 2012, Lolo was named to the U.S. national bobsled team. She quickly found success, placing second in her first World Cup bobsledding competition in November 2012.

2014 Winter Olympics

In January 2013, Lolo won a gold medal in the mixed team event at the World Championships in Switzerland. This success led to her being selected for the U.S. bobsled team for the 2014 Sochi Olympics as a brakewoman.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics, her team finished tenth in the two-woman bobsled event.

2021 World Championship

In February 2021, Lolo Jones and her teammate Kaillie Humphries won the two-woman bobsleigh world championship. This was another major gold medal for Lolo in her bobsledding career.

Personal Life

Lolo Jones was named Lori at birth, like her mother. She started going by "Lolo" to avoid confusion when people called for her mom. She has a diverse background, with French, African-American, Native American, and Norwegian roots. Lolo is a Christian and often talks about her faith.

She graduated from Louisiana State University in 2005 and lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is sponsored by companies like Asics and Red Bull.

Helping Her Community

Lolo is also known for her kindness and generosity. When she visited her old high school, Roosevelt High School, she surprised the track team with new running shoes for everyone. She also donated money to help buy new hurdles and improve the school's track.

In 2008, Lolo donated her $4,000 prize money from winning the Olympic trials to Renee Trout, a single mother whose home was damaged by a flood in Iowa. Other companies matched her donation, bringing the total to $12,000. Lolo even flew with Renee to see the flood-affected areas.

In the Media

Lolo Jones has appeared in various media projects. In 2009, she was featured in ESPN the Magazine. In 2012, she was on the cover of Outside magazine.

She has been a guest on TV shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Whose Line Is It Anyway?. In 2014, she competed on Dancing with the Stars.

Lolo also appeared on MTV's The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros in 2017, where she raised money for her charity, "Hurdles of Hope." In 2019, she was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother. She also hosted the reunion show for The Challenge: War of the Worlds.

In 2020, Lolo joined the cast of The Challenge: Double Agents. She left the show early to focus on training for the Olympics.

Achievements

Personal Bests

• All information from IAAF Profile

Competition Record in Track and Field

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing the  United States
2004	NACAC U-23 Championships	Sherbrooke, Canada	1st	100 m hurdles	13.05 (wind: +0.0 m/s)
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	43.63
2006	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	5th	100 m dash	11.24 (wind: -0.2 m/s)
			6th	100 m hurdles	12.76 (wind: +0.6 m/s)
2007	2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Indianapolis, USA	3rd	100 m hurdles	12.79
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	6th	100 m hurdles	12.62 (wind: -0.1 m/s)
2008	World Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	1st	60 m hurdles	7.80
	IAAF Golden League	Weltklasse Zürich, Switzerland	1st	100 m hurdles	12.56
	2008 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)	Eugene, Oregon, USA	1st	100 m hurdles	12.29 (wind: +3.8 m/s )
	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	7th	100 m hurdles	12.72 (wind: +0.1 m/s)
	World Athletics Final	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	100 m hurdles	12.56 (wind: +0.3 m/s)
2010	World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	1st	60 m hurdles	7.72
	2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Des Moines, Iowa, USA	1st	100 m hurdles	12.69 (wind: -2.1 m/s )
	Diamond League	Doha, Qatar	1st	100 m hurdles	12.63
	Diamond League	Oslo, Norway	1st	100 m hurdles	12.66
	Diamond League	New York, USA	1st	100 m hurdles	12.55
	IAAF Continental Cup	Split, Croatia	2nd	100 m hurdles	12.66
2012	2012 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)	Eugene, Oregon, USA	3rd	100 m hurdles	12.86
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	4th	100 m hurdles	12.58 (wind: -0.2 m/s)
2014	2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Sacramento, California, USA	3rd	100 m hurdles	12.65 (wind: -1.6 m/s)
2015	NACAC Championships	San José, Costa Rica	1st	100 m hurdles	12.63 w (wind: +4.1 m/s)

Competition Record in Winter Sports

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing Team  United States
2012	2012–13 Bobsleigh World Cup	Lake Placid	2nd	Two-woman	1:55.33
2013	2012–13 Bobsleigh World Cup	Igls	3rd	Team Competition	3:37.34
	FIBT World Championships 2013	St.Moritz	1st	Two-woman	1:07.76
	2013–14 Bobsleigh World Cup	Park City	2nd	Two-woman	1:39.24
2014	2013–14 Bobsleigh World Cup	Winterberg	2nd	Two-woman	1:55.42
	2014 Winter Olympics	Sliding Center Sanki, Krasnaya Polyana	11th	Two-woman	3:53.97
2016	2016–17 Bobsleigh World Cup	Lake Placid	2nd	Two-woman	1:52.16
2017	2016–17 Bobsleigh World Cup	Igls	1st	Two-woman	1:46.14
	2016–17 Bobsleigh World Cup	Pyeongchang	2nd	Two-woman	1:43.80
	2017–18 Bobsleigh World Cup	Park City	3rd	Two-woman	1:40.99
2018	2017–18 Bobsleigh World Cup	St. Moritz	1st	Two-woman	2:15.27
2021	2020–21 Bobsleigh World Cup	Igls	1st	Two-woman	1:47.07
	2021 IBSF World Championships	Altenberg	1st	Two-woman	3:48.26

Film and Television Appearances

Films

Television

See also

In Spanish: Lolo Jones para niños