Lolo Jones claims Team USA left her unsupported after severe spinal injury
Three-time Olympian Lolo Jones says she was denied medical care and later barred from the Lake Placid training facility after a back injury during bobsled testing.
During a February 2025 equipment test at the Lake Placid Olympic training site, Lolo Jones suffered severe lower-back pain and urinary issues, symptoms later linked to a herniated disc and cerebrospinal-fluid leak. A treatment arranged by a trainer was rescinded by the head of sports medicine, and Jones was subsequently barred from the facility’s medical, rehab, and housing areas after being cited for a code-of-conduct breach that officials did not specify.
She competed in the World Championships with pilot Elana Meyers Taylor, placing sixth, before financing her own MRI, surgery, and rehabilitation, which she says cost roughly $100,000. Jones contends the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee failed to provide adequate medical assessment and due-process, highlighting broader financial strains on bobsled athletes. She now calls for stronger protections for athletes seeking medical care and warns her daughter against pursuing an Olympic career. The case underscores tensions between athlete welfare and governing-body authority in elite sport.
Why it matters
It highlights potential gaps in medical support and due-process for elite athletes under national governing bodies.
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