She represented the U.S. in track and field at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics, competing in the 100m hurdles. The track and field athlete had almost tasted gold in Beijing, but destiny had its plans. She entered the Beijing 2008 Games as the overwhelming favorite in the women’s 100 m hurdles, thanks to her stellar season, including a 12.43 PB in the semis. In the finals, she led convincingly through eight hurdles—but fate intervened. On the ninth hurdle, she clipped it, stumbled, and lost her rhythm. In an instant, she dropped from the lead to seventh place, crossing in 12.72 s. Four years later, she switched sports.
In 2012, she transitioned to bobsled, joining the U.S. national team as a brakewoman. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, she partnered with pilot Jazmine Fenlator and finished 11th in the two-woman bobsled event. And it was during a Bobsled test run in 2025 when she got injured. She sought follow-up treatment at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid but was denied care as she had allegedly reached her weekly therapy limit. In a series of events that followed, she was banned from the facility. But that ban is not powerful enough to stop her practice. Here’s how Lolo Jones is still going on –
“Day 116 of being banned from the Olympic training center,” read one of Lolo’s Instagram stories, where she could be seen pushing a car up the slope. This was her practice for Bobsled outside of the training center, where they use a machinery-based pushing system. Fortunately, things are better for her in track and field as she does not have to jog in public spaces. Her next story was of an indoor track and field facility. She wrote, “I may not have a bobsled but I have LSU Track and field setting me up for workout number two.” Her college came in clutch amidst her ban from the Olympic training center.
Lolo Jones‘ bond with LSU runs far deeper than her standout years from 2002 to 2005; it has helped shape her entire professional journey. After capping her collegiate career as an 11-time All-American and three-time NCAA champion, she remained in Baton Rouge, training six days a week at Bernie Moore Track Stadium under Coach Dennis Shaver back in 2011. During her time at LSU, she made great ranks as well. In 2003, Jones won the 60-meter Hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She was later part of the winning 4×100-meter team at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Credit: NCAA.com
In the 2004 indoor campaign, she finished second at the NCAA Championships in both the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash. In her 2004 outdoor season, she won the 100-meter Hurdles title at the NCAA Mideast Region Championships, the SEC Championships, and the Penn Relays. At the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships, she won another national title as a member of the winning 4×100-meter team. Sad to see an athlete of such stature being banned at the Olympic training center. What happened?
Here’s why Lolo Jones is banned from the Olympic training center
A few days before the World Championships began, Lolo Jones sustained a spinal injury that caused her to lose all bladder control, a herniated disc, a disc bulge, and multiple tears in her back while testing out new bobsleds for Team USA. Naturally, she checked in with the medic of the Olympic training center. That is where things go south. Jones was seeking further medical treatment, but was told by John Faltus, medical director, that additional therapy could not be administered as she had reached her permitted quota for that week. Jones responded with harsh language.
Jones called John Faltus a “a horrible f—— human being,” according to USOPC documents. Faltus also alleges that Jones made an obscene gesture toward him, an allegation Jones denies in her part of the story. Under USOPC policy, athletes must respect both the professional boundaries and safety‐first protocols of training center personnel. By verbally abusing a sports medicine employee, especially one charged with her care, Jones was found to have breached the committee’s code of conduct.
“This behavior is a direct violation of the OPTC Code of Conduct,” Julie Marra, director of the USOPC Training Center in Lake Placid, wrote in a March 1 email to Jones. “This conduct is unacceptable, and I want to make it clear that such behavior cannot be tolerated.” As a result, Jones was handed the four-month ban, which will be over in August. Now, Jones, other Olympians, Team USA members, and a USA Bobsled and Skeleton official describe her suspension as excessive, arbitrary, retaliatory, and based on little investigation by USOPC officials.
It does not end here. Lolo has also claimed that the USOPC admitted fault for not informing her about a canceled medical appointment and promised to update their protocols. However, despite acknowledging their mistake, they upheld her ban from the training center. She told that she said, “If you’re admitting you did something wrong, then why are you punishing me and not your provider who did not contact me?” They were speechless, as per her words. What is your opinion? Do you justify her actions?
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