Olympic star Lolo Jones stands firm on virginity

Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones created a buzz when she told the world on an HBO talk show that at age 29 she's a Christian, a virgin and delaying sex until marriage, Baptist Press reports. Her revelation on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" quickly made headlines and circulated on social media, with some noting similarities to New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow. With three NCAA titles and 11 All-American wins, Jones hopes to qualify for this year's Olympics after a disappointing 7th-place finish in the women's 100M hurdles at the 2008 games in Beijing -- but says her hardest challenge is remaining a virgin and finding someone to date. "The journey has been hard," she said on NBC's Today show. "Harder than training for the Olympics, harder than graduating from college, has been to stay a virgin before marriage. It's just something, a gift I want to give my husband. ... I've had guys tell me, 'Hey, you know, if you have sex it will help you run faster.' ... I'd like to be married. If you marry me, then yeah." Jones grew up in poverty, often homeless, and said she wants to enjoy the commitment that her parents -- who never married -- didn't have.