Lolo Jones was wrongly denied medical treatment by the United States Olympics and Paralympic Committee after she suffered a severe spinal injury during bobsled training. She risked being paralyzed and continued to compete for her country.
It created a domino effect.
As of this writing, Jones won’t be able to qualify for the next Olympics in 2030. That was probably her last opportunity.
Lolo Jones suffered a spine injury during bobsled.
Most people who know of Lolo Jones likely know her from track and field and/or reality television. The former LSU standout burst onto the scene as an elite hurdler in the late 2000s. She won multiple United States championships and multiple world championships in the 60-meter hurdles to become one of the most successful indoor track competitors in history.
However, Jones frequently dealt with injuries and her career never quite reached its full potential. She also struck the ninth hurdle at the Olympics in 2008 and dropped from first to seventh. She also finished fourth, just milliseconds off of the podium, in 2012.
Jones also appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Big Brother, The Challenge and Name That Tune. The outspoken Iowa-native boasts more than half a million followers on Instagram.
In addition to her career on the track, Jones began competing in bobsleigh after the disappointing result at the 2012 Olympics. Known for her strong starts in track, her speed and explosive power made her a strong candidate as a brakewoman, which quickly earned her a place on the national team. She even qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics and has since won multiple world titles.
Unfortunately, Jones was hindered by yet another injury in the days leading up to the 2025 World Championships in Lake Placid. The 42-year-old suffered a broken back during sled testing.
According to Zielhaus, an independently operated news organization for the IBSF and sliding community, it should’ve triggered immediate concern. She was not well.
“A new sled, a different riding position, and then: brutal lower-back pain, numbness, leg instability, foot drop, loss of bladder control. Any medical professional reading those symptoms recognizes cauda equina, the kind of spinal emergency that sends emergency room patients into surgery the same night.”
And yet, Jones was largely cast aside. It was a catastrophic failure.
The United States Olympic Committee ignored her broken back.
Lolo Jones went to the Olympic Training Center’s sports medicine clinic for a massage as the first step in her required treatment protocols. However, her appointment had been canceled upon arrival.
Per Zielhaus, a top official at the medical clinic denied her the massage. She was only entitled to one massage per week and she had already used her one massage that week. No massage. The rules are the rules.
Meanwhile, Jones was dealing with symptoms that correspond to a spinal emergency and simply wanted help. It did not matter. The United States Olympic Committee did not provide its athlete with the proper treatment and has since admitted to its failure.
Jones’ attorney described the following hypothetical scenario to Southern California News Group:
“If you get hurt in prison, you get an MRI. The medical system in the federal prison system is literally better than the USOPC’s. Prisoners get better treatment than Olympians?”
That is a concerning reality. His client was in pain. The very people who are most responsible for the athletes did nothing to help.
She risked being paralyzed at the World Championships.
Because Lolo Jones did not get the proper medical care, she did not know the extent of her injury. She knew she was in pain but did not receive a proper diagnosis and continued to compete.
Jones exploded out of a standing start, pushed a ~400-pound bobsled out of a dead stop and sprinted down the ice at full speed. From there, she hopped in back of the bobsled with chin against her chest and flew around 20 different curves at 90 miles per hour.
All of this while dealing with a spinal injury. As described by Zielhaus:
“Every G-force compression, into torn tissue. Every impact with the sled, into a back that was already failing.”
Jones did it four times in a row. One wrong move at the World Championships could’ve left her paralyzed— but she did not know because she was denied proper treatment prior to the event.
An MRI, which Jones had to pay for herself upon return home, revealed the full extent of her injuries. She competed through a herniated disc with a disc bulge and tears in her L3, L4, and L5 vertebrae that leaked spinal fluid. She paid for the surgery herself.
If that was not bade enough, the United States Olympic Committee banned her from the Olympic Training Committee. An athlete who was recovering from spinal surgery was denied access t sports medicine, rehabilitation, the weight room and the push track.
Jones does not know why. Nobody ever told her the reason for her ban. It did not cite a specific violation of the code of conduct.
As a result, Jones was forced to handle the recovery process on her own. She spent no less than $100,000 of her own money to get back to health. That includes medical care, rehabilitation, travel, housing, training, etc.
Team USA officials appeared to hold a grudge.
And then she was denied the opportunity to compete for the United States at the six-woman World Cup even though she met all of the required marks leading up to the roster decision. Her omission means she cannot qualify for the Olympics.
Zielhaus described the selection process, which raised questions about USA Bobsled’s criteria. It also exposed a glaring conflict between Jones and one of the top administrators within the organization. It was not a coincidence that she got skipped over.
Lolo Jones was competing at a world-class level before her injury and even while injured at the World Championships. Team USA decided to look past her, which seemed to stem from a preexisting beef that is no fault of her own.
This decision could mark the end of Jones’ career. She is not going quietly, which led to her first post on X in more than a year.
“Why I’ve been off social [media] for so long… For months, I couldn’t talk about this. Please someone help stop what they are doing at USA Bobsled.”
The entire process was deeply flawed.
“I was never even given an X-ray or an MRI. I wasn’t even allowed to use the ice bath to numb the pain. And I did not even know my spine was seriously injured. I just knew I was in pain That’s why I got back in a Bobsled. Had my pilot hit a wall. I would be paralyzed today. The USOPC and USA Bobsled put me at major risk and then penalized me for the injury that they gave me testing bobsled for team USA.”
Jones was failed. She hopes to receive the justice she deserves and to serve as a catalyst for change.