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Lolo Jones to be enshrined in Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame

AP FILE PHOTO - Lolo Jones reacts with fans after running in the women’s special shuttle hurdle relay at the Drake Relays athletics meet on April 25, 2014, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — Three-time Olympian and Des Moines native Lolo Jones will be inducted into the Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame during an April 25 luncheon at the Courtside Club in the Knapp Center on the Drake University campus. This Hall of Fame induction will happen in conjunction with the 2024 Drake Relays.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lolo Jones back to Des Moines, the Drake Relays, and into such an esteemed club of elite athletes,” said Director of the Drake Relays Blake Boldon said. “Lolo is a household name among not only thousands of proud Iowans, but fans around the globe. Her connection to this event and the people here is unmatched.”

Jones became the first four-time winner in the Drake Relays invitational women’s 100-meter hurdles capturing consecutive titles from 2005-08. She was named the outstanding women’s performer of the 2008 Drake Relays after setting a meet record of 12.74 seconds. She finished second in the 100 hurdles at the 2010 and 2011 Drake Relays.

Jones also ran the second leg on a women’s all-star team, which won the invitational shuttle hurdle relay at the 2014 Drake Relays

The U.S. Olympic Trials champion in 2008, Jones led the finals of the 100 hurdles at the Beijing Olympics before clipping the ninth hurdle, finishing seventh. She also finished fourth in the 2012 Summer Games.

Jones also was one of the few athletes to appear in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games as she competed as the brakeman on the U.S. bobsled team at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She won a gold medal in the mixed team event at the 2013 World Championships.

She won U.S indoor track and field national titles in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in the 60-meter hurdles. With gold medals at the World Indoor Championship in 2008 and 2010, Jones became the first to win back-to-back titles in the event. She held the American record in the 60-meter hurdles of 7.72 for eight years from 2010-18.

Jones began her prolific track and field career not too far from Drake Stadium, attending Roosevelt High School in Des Moines where she was named the Gatorade Midwest Athlete of the Year and set a record at the Iowa state track meet in the 100-meter hurdles.

An 11-time NCAA All-American at LSU, Jones won the NCAA Indoor 60-meter hurdles title in 2003 and ran on the 4×100-meter relay which won NCAA golds in 2003 and 2004. She was also NCAA runner-up in the indoor 60-meter hurdles in 2004, indoor 60-meter dash in 2004, outdoor 100-meter hurdles in 2002 and 4×100 relay in 2002.

The induction of Lolo Jones will increase membership in the Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame to 225. The Athletes Hall of Fame was established in 1959 during the Golden Anniversary of the Drake Relays with 72 charter members, including Jesse Owens who was named the outstanding performer during the first half-century of the Drake Relays.

Tickets to attend the Hall of Fame luncheon on April 25 are available for purchase. If interested, contact Carolyn Burch Kirchhoff (carolyn.kirchhoff@drake.edu) in Drake University’s Athletics Development & Revenue Generation office.

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