Jones Sixth in 100 Hurdles at World\'s

OSAKA, Japan -- After advancing to Wednesday’s final in the 100-meter hurdles, Lady Tiger great Lolo Jones fell just short of winning a medal for the United States with a sixth-place finish in the event in her debut at the 2007 IAAF World Championships.

Jones, a three-time NCAA champion and 11-time All-American in her four-year career at LSU from 2001-04, fell just outside of medal contention after crossing the finish line in 12.62 seconds.

The native of Des Moines, Iowa, has proven to be one of the world’s premier sprint hurdlers in her three years since leaving the Lady Tigers program, advancing to Wednesday’s final in her first career appearance at the World Championships with times of 12.86 in the quarterfinal and 12.68 in the semifinal rounds earlier in the week.

Former Lady Tiger Lolo JonesMichelle Perry of the United States successfully defended her world title in the 100 hurdles by winning a gold medal with a scorching time of 12.46. Canadian Perdita Felicien is this year’s silver medalist (12.49), while Jamaican Delloreen Ennis-London won bronze (12.50).

Lady Tiger senior Sherry Fletcher of Grenada is also making her first career appearance at the World Championships and advanced to the semifinal round of the 200 meters Wednesday with a time of 23.02 in the quarterfinal. The reigning NCAA champion in the 100-meter dash opened with a time of 22.94 in the first round of qualifying earlier in the afternoon.

Fletcher is slated to line up in Lane 8 in the first heat of the semifinal round of the women’s 200-meter dash on Thursday at 8 a.m. CDT and hopes to advance to the final on Friday at 7:15 a.m.

Fellow Grenadian Alleyne Francique, who was one of the nation’s elite quarter milers during his brilliant career at LSU from 2001-02, fell short of advancing to the finals of the 400 meters after crossing the finish line in sixth place with a time of 45.41 in his semifinal heat on Wednesday.

The action continues for the Lady Tigers on Thursday as sophomore hurdler Nickiesha Wilson looks to win a medal for her native Jamaica when she lines up in the finals of the women’s 400-meter hurdles at 6:25 a.m. Wilson will run in Lane 4 after shattering the school record in the event with a time of 53.97 in Tuesday’s semifinal round