Lolo Jones may be without an Olympic medal, but she is not without controversy or headlines. The sprinter – who lost out on Gold in the 100-meter hurdles when she hit an obstacle on the home stretch and who then finished in fourth place by a tenth of a second yesterday – was the subject of a feature in The New York Times Sunday. And it was far from flattering. The article claimed that Jones “has decided she will be whatever anyone wants her to be – vixen, virgin, victim – to draw attention to herself and the many products she endorses,” referencing the fact that Jones has played up her virginity and her looks over the past few weeks. Appearing on The Today Show this morning, the athlete fought back tears and labeled the piece of journalism a “crazy misogynist hit piece.” “They should be supporting our U.S. Olympic athletes,” Jones told Savannah Guthrie of the newspaper. “Instead they just ripped me to shreds. I just thought that it was crazy because I worked six days a week, every day for four years for a 12-second race.” The Times also compared Jones to Anna Kournikova, a retired tennis player who got a lot of attention for her looks… yet never actually won a single tournament. Faced with that charge, Lolo points to her resume. “I have the American record. I’m the American record-holder indoors. Just because I don’t boast about these things, I don’t think I should be ripped apart by media. I laid it out there, fought hard for my country and it’s just a shame that I have to deal with so much backlash when I’m already so brokenhearted as it is.”
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Lolo Jones Tears Up, Defends Herself Against New York Times "Hit Piece"
