A 42-year-old Olympic athlete has explained why being a virgin puts her at a disadvantage.
Lolo Jones is one of America’s most decorated and versatile athletes - an Olympian who’s excelled at both summer and winter sports.
She has racked up three NCAA titles and 11 All-American honors in hurdles while at Louisiana State University before going on to win gold at the World Indoor Championships, IAAF World Athletics Final, and the World Championships.
She also took her talents to the ice, competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics as a bobsledder.
Yet, for all her accomplishments on the track and in the sled, her personal life has been far more complicated.
The athlete, a devout Christian, has been vocal for years about her decision to have sex after marriage - something she first shared publicly in 2012 when she was in her late twenties.
"There's virgins out there, I'm gonna let them know, it's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," Jones said at the time. "Harder than training for the Olympics, harder than graduating from college, has been to stay a virgin before marriage."
Her revelation came at a cost. During an appearance on Kevin Hart’s Cold as Balls series in 2020, she admitted: “That killed all my dates after that. Before, at least I had a chance. Before, I'd like, tiptoe. 'Okay, when's a good time to tell him? Do I wait until he sees my personality a little bit? Or do I just drop the bomb?'”
She also revealed that her abstinence may have affected her athletic performance. "Having sex actually helps you as an athlete, a female athlete. So, I'm running at a disadvantage," she said.
"I have a higher level of intensity because I don't have any pressure release. Everybody knows me as stressed out."
Despite the struggles, the Olympian has taken proactive steps to secure her future. In 2022, she froze her eggs to preserve her options for starting a family.
"I have made the right move to prepare for a family if me and my husband want to try to have kids one day, we have options," she shared on Instagram. "No one should be shamed for taking their time to figure out who their life partner is."
"A woman shouldn’t be shamed for wanting biological kids or wanting to know what it’s like to be pregnant and carry her own child," she continued. "I pray for all women that are on this journey or have done this journey. We are warriors they will never know."
Now, her focus has shifted to finding calm in the chaos. “I know it seems super weird, but I'm just trying to do things that are peaceful. I tell everybody I'm on a day-by-day plan,” Jones told the Mail Online.
"I'm on the Tom Brady retirement plan before he actually retired," she added.