By Luke Holthouse

Gold medal-winning track and field assistant coach Joanna Hayes’ comeback to competitive running ended on Saturday, after she failed to qualify for 2012 Olympics in London. 

Hayes won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens in the 100-meter hurdles. She attempted to defend her gold medal at the 2008 games in Beijing, but did not qualify for the Olympic team due to an injury. After retiring from competition after the Beijing games to focus on raising a family, she began coaching at Harvard-Westlake.  

Following the birth of her daughter Zoe in December of 2010, Hayes began training again with hopes of qualifying for the London games. She qualified for the US Olympic trials this weekend in Oregon, but was not fast enough to make the Olympic team again. 

She retired again from competitive running following the Olympic trials, but she will continue to coach at Harvard-Westlake. 

To watch Hayes’ post-race interview with Flotrack.com, click here.