Lolo Jones: What American Star Must Do to Prove Critics Wrong

Lolo Jones needs a chill pill.

OK, that may sound unsympathetic considering that Jones has trained her entire life to win an Olympic gold medal and she only has one last shot at it. But seriously, relaxing is exactly what she must do to medal in London.

Lolo talked to Sean Gregory of Time about the tremendous pressure that she feels going into her second Olympic games. When Gregory brought up her 2008 collapse and asked how she felt about the word “choke,” Jones responded:

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Nobody has ever asked me that question. I really just put too much pressure on myself. If people want to consider that choking, if they want to use that terminology for me, I completely understand. I’m not going to argue with them.

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Now, when asked to recall the events of her Beijing nightmare, Jones remembered the day vividly. And according to psychology professor Sian Beilock, that’s exactly what you don’t want to be able to do if you’re an athlete. Beilock said: “Often, athletes can tell you exactly what they are doing when they screw up” (via Time).

The fact that Lolo needs to chill to prove her critics wrong isn’t just my opinion—it’s a scientific fact. But again, overcoming pre-race jitters isn’t exactly effortless.

Lolo is 29 years old. By the time the 2016 Olympics roll around, she’ll be 33 and past her prime. A medal would be out of reach, even more than it is now.

According to Bovada, Jones is a 33-to-1 underdog to win the women’s 100-meter hurdles. She’s tied for the fifth-best odds behind Sally Pearson, Kellie Wells, Dawn Harper and Brigitte Foster-Hylton.

Jones finished third in the U.S. Trials. It’d take a miracle for her to medal in London, let alone win gold.

The only way she pulls it off is if she runs with a clear mind. Lolo couldn’t do it in 2008. But if she learns from her past mistakes and runs the race of her life, that miracle could happen.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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