Lolo Jones eyeing Samsung Diamond League
A specialist at the sixty meters and the hundred meters hurdles, American track and field athlete Lolo Jones is no alien in the world of athletics. A proud winner of three NCAA titles, Jones has indefinitely proved her worth to the athletics squad of the United States of America.
While at Louisiana State University, she gained eleven All American honours, but her list of accolades truly do not expire here; she was able to achieve indoor titles consecutively in the year 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the arena of sixty meters hurdles. The World Indoor Championships provided her with more reasons to rejoice and celebrate as she was awarded gold medals in 2008 and 2010.
While she was clearly rooted as one of the favourites for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, her dreams were shattered as she tripped on the penultimate hurdle, forcing her to suffer defeat and settle for seventh position. However, the year did not prove to be as dry as anticipated and the World Athletics Final of 2008 provided Lolo Jones with a shiny gold medal as a source of acknowledgement. She boasts of an impressive personal best of 7.29 seconds, which is not only magnanimously fast, but also currently the fastest time for an American athlete.
While this American athlete is definitely amongst those who are always on the quest for medals and other means of athletic recognition, there remains the fact that the Americans do not have much competition left in the international arena to target. While the European and African athletes have significantly improved their performances and emerged high by creating strong impacts at both Nairobi and Barcelona, Lolo Jones and her partner American athletes have tasted success at national championships only.
However, with the DN Galan Samsung Diamond League all set to commence today, Lolo Jones is clearly aware of making it her target. In a recent press conference for which this American athlete took out time while ongoing celebrations were taking place for her twenty eighth birthday, Jones made it evident that she has her eyes on the Diamond League.
Nevertheless, she is determined that while winning is certainly enjoyable for a strong professional booster amidst a sea of competition and rivalries in the world of athletics, it is equally important to have an impeccable run. She articulated that her emphasis is not primarily on time, but on her techniques. She said she commenced the season by focusing on her start, and is now concentrating on maintaining it to the end of the run. She also managed to talk quite easily about the tough luck she faced at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, saying it is something that happens, and definitely not something she devotes a lot of thinking to.
With the level of determination displayed by Lolo Jones, one can be hopeful of her success at the upcoming DN Galan Samsung Diamond League. A victory at the League will serve to be pivotal for her in this season, since it is one of the most prestigious events in the world of athletics. Whether Jones is able to achieve the perfect race as she puts it and concede with a shiny gold medal hanging from a neck is something only time will tell. However, currently it can be said that considering her statistics and recent profile, it does not seem like a long shot.
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