Lolo Jones Slams Media After Placing Fourth In Hurdles Event

Lolo Jones, 30, is still in the public eye, and perhaps more than she would like to be, thanks to the hype that was built up around her before the 2012 Olympic games, where she ended up coming in only fourth place on the 100m hurdle event, finishing behind Sally Pearson of Australia, who won the gold, and Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells of the USA, who got the silver and bronze, respectively.

Jones has been something of a hot topic ever since she clipped the ninth hurdle in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, finishing in seventh place. For her part, Jones thinks that the media had a big role in her recent pitfalls. "Exactly a year ago, I was having spinal cord surgery," Jones said on Today, explaining how she has come to terms with the more recent medal loss. "I keep trying to focus on that, and not the negativity I've received," she said.

As for that negativity, Jones refers to a New York Times article entitled, "For Lolo Jones, Everything Is Image," which suggested her fame might be based on something other than raw ability.

"I thought it was crazy," Jones said of the article, "because it was two days before I competed, and the fact that it was from a U.S. media [outlet]. I mean, they should be supporting the U.S. Olympic athletes and instead, they just ripped me to shreds."

Jones emotionally defended her abilities, her voice cracking. "I just thought that that was crazy because I worked six days a week, every day for four years for a 12-second race and the fact that they just tore me apart — it was heartbreaking."

Watch Jones' emotional Today interview here:

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