What’s beef: USA track teammates Dawn Harper & Kellie Wells say Lolo Jones got too much attention [video]

So apparently this Lolo Jones backlash isn’t going to stop soon. Following their second and third place in the 100 m women’s hurdle, Lolo Jones’ track and field teammates Dawn Harper (Silver medal) and Kellie Wells (Bronze medal) expressed in an interview with NBC Sports’ Michelle Beadle that they felt their own personal stories of triumph were overlooked by the media to focus on Jones’ story. As benign as that statement sounds, there is absolute beef and these two ladies definitely threw shots at Jones in this interview:

Beadle: You thought you weren’t getting enough respect … Why is that?

Harper: I feel I had a pretty good story — knee surgery two months before Olympic trials in 2008, to make the team but 0.007, not have a contract … working three jobs, living in a frat house, trying to make it work. Coming off running in someone else’s shoes getting the gold medal. Ehhh, I’d say I was pretty interesting. I just felt as if I worked really hard to represent my country in the best way possible, and to come way with the gold medal, and to honestly seem as if, because their favorite [CLOSE UP ON LOLO JONES FROM TUESDAY NIGHT] didn’t win all of sudden it’s just like, ‘Were going to push your story aside, and still gonna push this one.’ That hurt. It did. It hurt my feelings. But I feel as if I showed I can deal with the pressure, I came back, and I think you kinda got to respect it a little bit now.

Beadle [to Harper and Kellie Wells]: You guys kinda hang out together … Is there fighting amongst the team — we’re talking about Lolo Jones if you can’t figure this out — is there an awkward situation or now that it’s over we’ve all just moved on?

Wells: Well, I think that, on the podium tonight, the three girls that earned their spot and they got their medals and they worked hard and did what they needed to do, prevailed. And that’s all that really needs to be said.

Beadle: Wow.

Harper: BOOM! Just like that.

Beadle: You can cut the tension in here with a knife.

I am all for speaking what’s on your heart. But in these two ladies crowning moment, how jealous do they sound of Lolo? You’re bitter because the media didn’t give you enough attention? Do you have a publicist? How open were you to putting yourself out there good, bad and indifferent for THAT type of attention? Is it not better that you went about your business of training and ended up on the podium stand? And in the moment where it SHOULD be about you and you’re accomplishments, you’re still complaining about THAT? The chick that got fourth?

In my moment of glory, please believe even if I throw a tad bit of shade, the focus will ABSOLUTELY be on me!