BUFFALO, N.Y. — She had to patiently wait more than a week. Now Jasmine Jones is ready to step back onto the track and compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Jones, the daughter former Buffalo Bills safety Henry Jones, will compete in the 400-meter hurdles, which includes American teammate and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Jones finished third on June 30 at the U.S. Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore., running a personal-best 52.77 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone took first at 50.65 seconds — a new world record — and Anna Cockrell was second at 52.64.
Now comes the big moment. Jones will run in the opening heats starting at 6:43 a.m. Sunday, and it will be televised on USA Network and Peacock. If she advances, she will run again at 2:07 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals.
The finals for 400-meter hurdles are scheduled for Thursday.
Jones recently completed her fourth season at USC, where she competed in hurdles, sprints, and jumps. She ranks in the top seven all-time on the Trojans' all-time list in the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles.
Back in high school, Jones was a 12-time individual champion in the state of Georgia, where she attended Greater Atlanta Christian School. She helped the Spartans will a state title as well, in 2019.
Henry Jones played in 144 games over 10 seasons with the Bills, from 1991 to 2000. An All-Pro safety in 1992, he had 18 interceptions, including four that were returned for touchdowns, during his Buffalo years. He forced seven fumbles, recovered another nine, and made 663 tackles in Buffalo.