Lolo Jones: Olympian says she’s a virgin in search of a husband

Lolo Jones is an Olympic track and field star gunning for gold at the London Games this summer. But you know what’s really hard for Jones? Keeping her virginity intact for her future husband, whoever he may be.

Interest in Jones, 29, has gone nuclear in the last 12 hours, after HBO’s “Real Sports” aired an interview with Jones on Tuesday night. In that interview, Jones talked about her dating woes, which she attributed in part to the fact that she’s a virgin -- and unwilling to change that status until her wedding night. (Just for the record, the social-media savvy Jones started the conversation by Tweeting about her sexless status.)

“It’s just something, a gift that I want to give to my husband,” she says during the interview, which you can see below. “But please understand this journey has been hard. If there’s virgins out there, I just want to let them know, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Harder than training for the Olympics, harder than graduating from college, has been to stay a virgin before marriage.”

Today, Jones is being hailed on Twitter as a “model,” and her admission is likely to reignite the debate about the importance of chastity. (Want to bet that nearly all of that debate will focus on women, not men?) But some are also questioning the claim that holding on to that chastity is harder than training for the gold.

There’s no shortage of guys who want to help her fix that “problem,” she says.

“I’ve been tempted. I’ve had guys tell me, they’re like, ‘Hey you know if you have sex it will help you run faster.’” She joked that her response has been: “If you marry me, then yeah.”

Apparently that sends guys sprinting for the door.

Let’s wrap this up with a bold prediction: It probably won’t be long before someone puts a ring on that girl-next-door gorgeousness and ripped physique. Jones says she’s had no luck with dating services, but we suspect that telling all on “Real Sports,” becoming the single most-searched-for term on Google this morning, and perhaps taking center stage (not to mention some jewelry) at the London Olympics will bring out the eligible bachelors.

Choose wisely, Lolo. You only get one shot at this one.

Unlucky in love, Jones has also been unlucky at the Olympics. She was the favorite to win the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but she tripped and finished seventh. She hopes to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team next month and then go for the gold at the London Olympics this summer.

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rene.lynch@latimes.com