Lolo Jones Picked For World Cup Bobsled Spot

Bobsledding has gone global. The sport has reached the World Cup circuit with Lolo Jones making her debut in its international competition.

Jones--an Olympic hurdler who has won gold in the 2008 Beijing games--secured her spot to compete for the U.S. in this weekend's competition at Lake Placid, NY after trying her hand at the sport for the first time. She was chosen as one of six female athletes for the women's national team by the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, along with Tianna Madison and Aja Evans. All three possess track backgrounds and are rookies in competing against veterans for an international bobsledding showdown, Yahoo! News reports.

Jones and Madison were invited to compete in the team's push championships--which occur off-ice--by U.S. bobsled coach Todd Hays. Though he admits he wanted experienced Olympians on the team for morale and inspiration, he was impressed by the ladies' willingness to learn a new sport in a short amount of time.

The UBSF is expected to release the full team lineup Monday. The women's bobsled race at the first World Cup is scheduled for Friday morning at Mount Van Hoevenberg.

Go U.S.A.!