Lolo Jones Breaks Down Over Criticism After Failing to Medal [VIDEO]

After receiving a lot of hype heading into the 2012 Olympic Games, hurdler Lolo Jones failed to receive a medal in the 100m hurdles, finishing fourth.

Jones, who has gained a lot of notoriety for both her speedy recovery from spinal cord surgery and her willingness to profess her religious beliefs, including her decision to remain abstinent, has undergone tons of criticism after failing to live up to the hype. She even appeared on the Today Show, distraught over what people were saying about her.

I'm sorry to come across as cold-hearted here, but this is pathetic, Lolo!

Obviously you're not the Anna Kournikova of track and field. That is painfully obvious considering that you just proved that you were one of the four best women in the world at what you do. Anybody who would say that is an idiot.

That begs the question: why would you care so much about what people who say stupid things say? Obviously the Twitter-verse and less rational members of the media are going to overreact to things. So why play into their hands and overreact right back?

We have seen athletes put in similar positions before act with much more poise than this. When LeBron James was asked about his critics (which, by the way, were only about a million times more than yours in number), he just pointed out that they are nowhere near as good as he is at anything. When other female athletes have been criticized during this year's Olympics for something even more petty; their looks, they have responded with grace and humility, focusing on their athleticism. When Tim Tebow is asked about a critic, he simply says "God bless them." None of those athletes, some of which experience a way larger level of scrutiny than Jones, cry about it! Keep it together!

For what it's worth, rather than comparing Jones to Kournikova, I think a more apt comparison is to compare her to Tim Tebow. Both are very into professing their faith in front of the microphones, and both have failed to live up to the hype.

With that said, there's no reason to cry about it. I'd rather be track's Tim Tebow than track's Luke McCown.