US 100m hurdler Lolo Jones, the World Indoor 60m hurdles champion, who shot to worldwide fame when she tripped on a hurdle whilst leading the Olympic final in Beijing, tells spikesmag.com about the tough disjointed upbringing that formed the basis of her success as an elite athlete.

“My mum was pretty broke all the time and moved around from job to job while my dad was in and out of prison.  My mum had five kids to look after and would take a temporary job and we often could not afford to pay the rent. We moved around so much I lived in eight houses in eight years.

“My mum always made sure we had food in our bellies. She had a part college education, so took secretarial jobs but they were often temporary jobs

“My dad may have been in and out of jail but he was a very good father when he was around. We would see him one year and then he would not be around for three. As a kid you don’t know that’s not regular. We would visit him to jail but often never know the reason why he was in.

“For a spell we were homeless and so lived in the basement of a church. When day camps were offered at church I woke up early to avoid being teased be the other kids in case they found out I was living in a basement.

“I was always very independent, a real bookworm but I was always involved in sport. I started off playing basketball and started my athletics life in sixth grade as a long distance runner.

“At High School I was always very academic and I had the chance of an academic scholarship in science but it conflicted with my athletics. If you asked me to choose between a science competition and a track meeting, I would always run at the track meet. I saw track as the way I could get an education and a free scholarship.

“I’m very close to my sister and all my siblings were pretty athletic they just had other distractions and could not keep their focus at school.

“I played the violin and cello but often could not keep practicing because of my other interests. I still play now but just for recreation.

“My mum wanted to move to Forest City in Iowa but I would not leave my High School because Forest City did not have a track. I lived with four families in four years to pursue my track and field career and my mum was totally supportive.

“It was hard living with different families. I had to become accustomed to their rules and sometimes it could be very strained, particularly as I was a teenager at the time.

“My mum is also called Lori like me, I get called Lolo to avoid any confusion. She is very proud of me but I’m sure she would be proud of me whatever I would have done in my life.

"Athletics has saved my life in three ways. First it has got me out of poverty. Second it has got me a free education, and third it has become one of the joys of my life. Even when I'm working out and being sick I enjoy it. I love pushing my body to the limits of what it's capable of."