Two hundred and five nations will be represented by 17,000 athletes in London for the upcoming summer Olympic games. Twelve of those athletes have all worn the purple and gold of LSU during their careers, 10 of whom hail from the University’s legendary track and field program. “For many of them, this is their first time competing on the world stage,” said LSU coach Dennis Shaver in July. “We’re excited about them being there, and we have high expectations for them. I’m confident in them representing LSU.” Jamaica, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago will all have Tigers on their squads, with Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago fielding the most Tigers at four each. Recent graduate Semoy Hackett will be competing in her second Olympic games when she once again runs for Trindad and Tobago in the 100-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay in London, while also adding the 200-meter dash to her schedule. “It’s any athlete’s dream come true,” Hackett said in a news release. “It was a little tough for me being the youngest. I wasn’t as prepared like most of the other athletes probably were. Just being there was a big accomplishment at that age. I just tried to make the most of it.” Hackett made it to the semifinal round in the 100-meter dash but failed to make it out of qualifying in the 4×100-meter relay. “I want more this time,” Hackett said. “I’m not taking anything for granted. I expect to perform for my country to the best of my ability. We have a strong team going to London. I’m going to draw from my experience this time around. I feel like I’m better prepared to compete.” Hackett’s close friend, Kelly Anne Baptiste, will compete for Trinidad and Tobago in the 100-meter dash while holding some of the country’s highest expectation for the games. Ade Alleyne-Forte will also run for Trinidad when he lines up with the 4×400-meter relay team. Alleyne-Forte will be competing with Tiger teammate Riker Hylton for Jamaica in the 4×400-meter relay. Only one LSU track athlete will represent the U.S. in London: former Tiger standout Lolo Jones. Jones competed in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing and was the favorite in the event before stumbling to seventh place. Jones infamously broke down after clipping the hurdle, crying on the track and has trained hard on the LSU campus in the four years since, as she hopes to avenge her mishap in Beijing. After her Olympic qualifying run during the U.S. trials, Jones acknowledged that she wasn’t sure if she would make it back to another games. “There were times when I just wanted to give up this season,” Jones said in an interview following her event. “I had the surgery, and then I had two hamstring tears, both requiring a lot of treatment. There were a lot of times where I didn’t think I would be ready in time. I was just trying to overcome those doubts and fears for what I could do and execute technically. It really was quite a battle. It’s great to now have a month to prepare for the Olympics.”  
 
____ Contact Mike Gegenheimer at [email protected]