David Epstein: Americans come up short again on nightmare track

LoLo Jones fell from first to seventh in the last steps of the 100m hurdles Sanya Richards also blew a lead in the 400, finishing third BEIJING -- To be the champion, you have to clear all 10 hurdles. That's the mantra LoLo Jones kept reciting to reporters between tears after she hit the 10th barrier in the Olympic final of the 100-meter hurdles, and fell from first to seventh in the last steps of the race. As soon she hit the hurdle with her lead leg, Jones' face morphed from the picture of composure to a visage of strain. She leaned desperately toward the finish while a wave of competitors washed over her. Her compatriot Dawn Harper flew by and won in 12.54. Jones had the third-slowest reaction time to the gun in the field, and after the race said she may have stepped on the gas a little too much early in the race in an... [read full story]