Lolo Jones claims USOPC and USA Bobsled denied her care after spinal injury

Lolo Jones, a four-time world champion who has competed in both track and bobsleigh for the United States, says a spinal injury suffered during a March 2025 training run caused intense lower-back pain, numbness, leg instability, foot drop and loss of bladder control. She alleges that USOPC medical staff, specifically John Faltus, cancelled her scheduled therapeutic massage without justification, and that she was denied basic diagnostics such as X-rays or MRI scans and even an ice-bath for pain relief.

Despite the injury, Jones raced at the 2025 World Championships, finishing sixth with teammate Elena Meyers Taylor. After the event she financed an MRI that confirmed a herniated disc, disc bulge, vertebral tears and spinal fluid leakage. On March 1, Julie Marra, director of the USOPC Training Center in Lake Placid, issued a notice barring Jones from the facility for alleged code-of-conduct violations, a restriction that remained through July. Jones reports spending about $100,000 out of pocket for medical care and training, including improvising a push track in Louisiana due to lack of access to Team USA facilities.