Lolo Jones Wins Over New Fans With Comments on Waiting For Marriage To Have Sex

A young athlete from Pembroke Pines says she understands what the Olympic hurdler is talking about

Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones is winning over a whole new crop of fans after admitting in an interview on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” that she is not having sex until she is married, in accordance with her Christian faith. One of those new fans is 17-year-old Mashli Fleurestil of Pembroke Pines.

“When I tell people that I want to wait, it's something that's like, it's almost like a taboo now, it's like, 'What, what are you talking about? That's crazy, I don't understand,'” Fleurestil explained. “I like what she said in her interview on 'Real Sports,' she said that waiting for marriage is harder than training for the Olympics, and I understand that completely."

Like Jones, Fleurestil is also a young athlete, with dreams of playing college basketball. She said she had no idea who Jones was until the interview aired on Tuesday.

“She just kind of blew up, and I thought, that's just how God works, when he's going to use somebody, he's going to use them, and I can't wait to see what he's going to keep doing through her,” Fleurestil said.

The Sheridan Hills Christian High student said young athletes face great pressures to fit in and be cool. But for athletes of faith like her, there are groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes where like-minded sportsmen and women can bond over their shared beliefs.

“It's like a support group, you're with your brothers and sisters, and you feel like, 'Okay, I'm not the only one,'” she explained.

For more Olympics news, see here or here, or our special London 2012 section.

Contact Us