Lolo Jones ‘Quarantined’: Bobsledder Fighting Off Cold, Wants ‘Stray Dog’ For Company
Lolo Jones, an American bobsledder who is set to compete at Winter Olympics, was “quarantined” because she was suffering from a cold.
Jones was kept apart from her team-mates to stop her contaminating them, but she has now confirmed, via her Twitter page, that she’s been released:
Just released… been in quarantine room in Olympic village.Single room was nice just wish I had one of those stray dogs to keep me company
— Lolo Jones (@lolojones) February 10, 2014
Earlier on Monday, Jones informed her army of followers that she was ill, and Amanda Bird, a spokeswoman for the U.S. bobsled team, confirmed that after the athlete had exhibited various symptoms she was ostracised to solitary confinement in order to recuperate.
However, later on Monday, Jones was able to reunite with her fellow competitors. After being released, she made a humorous reference to the stray dogs that had been spotted across Sochi just before the Olympics opened.
Alex Shibutani, an ice dancer who is also currently in Sochi, is still so concerned about Jones’ illness that he won’t let her anywhere near him. He took to his Twitter account to admit:
.@lolojones has been sick so this is as close as I’ll let her get to me. #LOLButSeriously #SochiSelfie #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/xd3PpuMho3
— Alex Shibutani (@AlexShibutani) February 10, 2014
However, despite her recent brush with death, Jones is well under way to make a full recovery and U.S. bobsled officials aren’t worried about her missing any action. Official training doesn’t begin until Friday, and the first two heats are planned for Tuesday, February 18.
Earlier this week, Jones was paired with pilot, Jazmine Fenlator. This duo is considered to be the least likely of the US competitors to medal in the field, instead they have high hopes for Lauryn Williams and Elana Meyers.
Williams first entered a bobsled in July, and her pairing with Meyers is considered to be a risky move because Meyers has previously had great success with brakeman Aja Evans.
However, U.S bobsled and skeleton CEO Darrin Steele believes it will prove to be an inspired choice. “One of the unique things about the sport of bobsled is that every track and every start is different,” he remarked. “We have the luxury of aligning the optimal combinations due to our amazing depth of push athletes. Some tracks are going to favor the explosive acceleration that Aja provides and others that will favor the higher top-end speed that Lauryn can offer.
Steele continued, “When races come down to hundredths of a second, you have to optimize the combinations for the Olympic track, which slightly favors the Meyers-Williams combination. Aja and Jamie also have a history of success, so I’m excited these teams compete. All three teams have the ability to get on the podium.”
