Lolo Jones shares lessons for overcoming failure at Becker's ASC Annual Meeting

At the Becker's ASC 21st Annual Meeting in Chicago on October 24th, Lolo Jones, two-time Olympic hurdler and world champion, 2014 Olympic bobsledder, shared the importance of recovering from failure.

Ms. Jones opened her presentation by explaining that although she's been to the Olympics three times, she's never taken home a medal. She hasn't let this stop her, though; instead she uses her failures to spur future achievements. 

As the expected winner of the gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Lolo fell short of expectations: She hit a hurdle during the race and placed 7th. 

A few years later, she realized part of the reason she didn't perform to expectations: She suffered from a spine disorder that would require a complex surgery and long recovery. She was able to return to running, and made the Olympic team for London in 2012. At the qualifying race in Eugene, Oregon, she was 17th out of 18 racing for three spots for the team.

"I was just determined to fight, and that's what I did," she said.  

She placed third. 

In London, she came in 4th. She was disappointed she didn't place, but tried to remember that her original goal was just to be an Olympian, and she had achieved that. 

After the London Olympics, she transitioned to bobsledding and competed as an Olympic Bobsledder in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi

"For me to step out of my comfort zone was everything I needed at that moment," she said.

The team didn't receive a medal, but she believes the experience will make her a more formidable hurdler.

"I have a new technique in hurdles," she explained. "Men take seven steps to the first hurdle; most women [have to] take eight."

"After pushing a 400-lb bobsled every day, I can do seven steps to the first hurdle now."

She thinks the change, which she was able to achieve only because of the strength she gained from bobsled training, will give her an advantage at Rio in 2016.

"It's how we approach the hurdles," she said. And that goes for track and field, and in life.

In races, "we all go the same speed," she added, explaining that most hurdlers have around the same speed; the difference comes with how well they approach the first, and each additional, hurdle.

A person's approach to hurdles also largely determines their success in life. "Do we look at hurdles as an obstacle or something that's going to push us forward?" she said.

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