Olympic dreams, Des Moines homecoming on display for Lolo Jones at Drake Relays
"Welcome back to Des Moines, welcome back to the Drake Relays, welcome home Lolo Jones!”
Mike Jay’s voice thundered over the loudspeaker, announcing the return of women’s professional 100-meter hurdler to her Iowa hometown.
The 41-year-old athlete offered a quick wave to the crowd before stepping in front of her blocks. A smattering of spectators rose to their feet in a standing ovation for the larger-than-life personality who speaks with immense pride about Des Moines.
Despite standing out as the obvious fan favorite, Jones finished fifth out of six with a time of 13.10 seconds.
That time sits as her best this season; she shaved one one-hundredth of a second off her previous best of 13.11.
“I improved, slightly,” Jones said post-race. “It’s not over yet. I’m not gonna lie to you guys, it’s definitely looking bad, but we will fight to the end because that’s what I’ve done my whole career.”
The fight Jones referred to is her desire to qualify for the Olympic Trials. To make it into the “A” group, she must finish with a time under 12.95 seconds.
So, Saturday’s result wasn’t as promising as she hoped.
But Iowa track and field fans nearly didn’t get to see the hometown hero race at all.
Jones admitted in the post-race press conference that she almost pulled out of the event. She said that her legs felt heavy and tired.
Even with the loss, Jones was high-spirited. She laughed when mentioning that she didn’t finish last. She spoke with admiration about how the crowd gave her energy. She once again credited Drake’s track for creating the athlete she is today.
Jones – the Roosevelt standout turned world champion – is all too familiar with the Blue Oval.
She became the first four-time winner in the invitational women’s 100-meter hurdles, capturing a Drake Relays flag from 2005 to 2008.
Jones finished second in the same event in 2010 and 2011, and she ran the second leg on the women’s shuttle hurdle relay team that claimed the title in 2014. But it’s been 10 years – dating back to that relay victory – since the Olympian competed in, what basically is, her home meet.
“My heart was formed on this track,” Jones said during a Thursday press conference ahead of the Saturday event.
A piece of Jones's heart remains on the Blue Oval. That was evident on Saturday.
A smile spread across her face as she waved to the crowd after finishing fifth.
She walked toward the finish line, blowing kisses to a crowd of fans who still adore her after a 10-year hiatus.
Jones took pictures with young girls in the crowd as Jay’s booming voice thanked the Des Moines hurdler for coming home.
And Jones was just as thankful to be there as the crowd was to have her.
“I needed to come back,” Jones expressed, a glisten to her eyes. “I needed to thank Iowa for everything they’ve done for me and my career. I wouldn’t be the hurdler I am without this track, without this community and I’m so beyond thankful.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Lolo Jones puts on performance for hometown crowd at Drake Relays
