Lolo Jones is going to be busy for the next couple of weeks, but she’s keeping her schedule clear once the 2012 London Olympics are done in case any good-looking actors come calling.
The track star, who has blossomed into a media celebrity in the lead-up to the London Olympics, told E! News that she is looking for a date after the games have finished.
“Whatever actor is watching this—if you’re single and you are hot, I am single as well. Hit me up after the Olympics,” Jones told E! News.
Lolo Jones is one of the most popular athletes heading into the 2012 London Olympics. She’s already had an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and was one of three athletes selected to grace the cover of Time magazine’s Olympic preview.
An Iowa native, Lolo Jones finished third in 100-meter hurdles at the Olympic trials, her star far outshines any other track and field athlete. She has amassed seven sponsors and gained a higher profile through stories on HBO, ESPN, NBC’s Nightly News and a spread in Rolling Stone magazine.
Jones has seen her celebrity grow in large part because of how open she has been with her life. She has talked about stealing food as a child to fight hunger pains and told about how her father shuffled in and out of jail, the Des Moines Register reported. And she made even bigger waves this year when she announced on Twitter that she is a virgin and plans to remain so until she is married.
“Especially with the Olympics, people love the back story, people love the journey. They love the triumphs after the failures,” Dan Levy, a vice president for action sports and Olympics with the Wasserman Media Group, told the Des Moines Register.
“And celebrity is celebrity. It sometimes feeds off itself. You get one sponsor, you get another. You get one magazine cover, you get another. The fact is, there are a lot of great athletes. You have to differentiate yourself.”
Lolo Jones’ trip to the Olympics isn’t all about glitz and glamor. She is trying to atone for her blunder at the 2008 Beijing Olympics that cost her a chance at gold. Leading the 100-meter hurdles in the Olympic final with just two barriers to clear, Jones made contact with the ninth barrier and staggered to a seventh-place finish.