You have to be of a certain age (50-plus) to know who Hayes Jones is. He was a hurdling icon of the late 1950s and early ’60s who won gold at Tokyo in 1964. He turns 68 next month, and made a startling comment to a Michigan Senior Olympics audience Wednesday. Noting that his father carried the torch at a 1979 Senior Olympics, Hayes is quoted as saying: “I am trying to follow in my father’s footsteps. But in no way am I going to run the risk of some nobody beating an Olympic gold-medal winner. I have to keep my reputation, so I am going to wait a few more years before I actually get out there and compete.”

Do these guys have egos or what?
I know a bunch of Olympians who compete in masters track — and don’t care a whit whether their “reputation” is besmirched by losing to someone in their age group. They’ve matured and acknowledge what Sartre called “facitity” — they ain’t what they used to be.
But it’s nice, at least, that Hayes hints he’s even considering age-group track.
When he’s back in the game, he’ll hit himself for taking so long.
Anyway, here’s the story, shud the link go dead:
No hurdle too high for Jones
Thursday, July 13, 2006
By Wes Morgan
wmorgan@kalamazoogazette.com
The Michigan Senior Olympics Celebration of Athletes guest speaker, Hayes Jones, delivered a call to action Wednesday night rather than a speech.
And his eloquence was matched only by his sincerity.
A brimming Bernhard Center ballroom on the campus of Western Michigan University warmly greeted Jones — a bronze and gold medal-winning hurdler in the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympic Games, respectively — as he approached the podium.
The Pontiac native and Eastern Michigan University track and field standout pulled no punches when it came time to revel in EMU’s dominance over the Broncos during Jones’ career in the late 1950s, much to the amusement of the audience.
“I looked forward to coming here and beating that track team,” Jones joked.
Seamlessly shifting from humor to more sober and reflective tones and back again, Jones thanked the Michigan Senior Olympics organization as a whole for choosing him to be the Honorary Chairman of the 2007 and 2008 games to be held in Oakland County.
It seemed only appropriate for Jones, whose father carried the torch in the event’s inaugural year at the Silverdome in 1979.
“I am trying to follow in my father’s footsteps,” Jones said. “But in no way am I going to run the risk of some nobody beating an Olympic gold-medal winner. I have to keep my reputation, so I am going to wait a few more years before I actually get out there and compete.”
Jones satisfied the audience’s hunger for tales of Olympic glory that ultimately tied together his message of the importance of our nation’s physical fitness as well as the importance of the Senior Olympics program.
His athletic portfolio includes two National Collegiate Athletic Association championships in the hurdles in 1958, nine Amateur Athletic Union titles, a 1959 Pan-American championship, an Olympic bronze medal in the 110-meter hurdles in Rome in 1960 and a gold medal in the same event at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
That list wasn’t intended as boastful self-promotion, but to prove that odds could be overcome — odds like being a 5-foot-10 hurdler in an event in which long legs are usually a prerequisite. Coming from a talent who was cut from his high school track team as a freshman, the example was poignant.
These days, Jones has found a new challenge. In August, Jones will enter the Michigan State Representative race for Pontiac and Auburn Hills.
“I resigned from the best job I ever had because I feel it is important to have someone in Lansing who really cares about seniors,” Jones said.
After the banquet ended, Kalamazoo Vice-Mayor Bobby Hopewell shared his feelings on why the Senior Olympics is so vital.
“For me personally, I have a mother who is 70 years old,” Hopewell said. “She certainly is very lively and active and this event signifies that no matter what your age, there are still opportunities to participate and to grow.
“For the community, these individuals represent all of our grandparents, our moms, our dads, and shows that seniors have the ability to lead and are often underestimated.”