Suzy Favor Hamilton, 44, is perhas best known in the running community as the most highly honored female athlete in NCAA track and field history.
But not any more.
The three time U.S. Olympian was busted by The Smoking Gun as a $600-an-hour call girl working in Las Vegas under the name of "Kelly Lundy."
According to the Smoking Gun, "Favor Hamilton described the escort business as “exciting,” an illicit midlife diversion from her routine existence, one in which she operates a successful Madison, Wisconsin real estate brokerage with her husband, delivers motivational speeches, and does promotional work for various businesses and groups, including Disney’s running series and Wisconsin’s Potato & Vegetable Growers Association."
Hamilton now calls her secret life "A Huge Mistake," and apologized on Twitter:
"I realize I have made highly irrational choices and I take full responsibility for them. I am not a victim here and knew what I was doing. I was drawn to escorting in large part because it provided many coping mechanisms for me when I was going through a very challenging time with my marriage and my life. It provided an escape from a life that I was struggling in. It was a double life.
I do not expect people to understand, but the reasons for doing this made sense to me at the time and were very much related to depression. As crazy as I know it seems, I never thought I would be exposed, therefore never hurting anybody. I have been seeking the help of a psychologist for the past few weeks and will continue to do so after I have put things together. I cannot emphasize enough how sorry I am to anyone I have hurt as a result of my actions and greatly appreciate the support from family and those closest to me. I fully intend to make amends and get back to being a good mother, wife, daughter, and friend."
According to Yahoo Sports , "Hamilton said her husband knew of her escort work, but did not
support it and asked her to stop. TSG reports that the family is
apparently not in financial distress.
Hamilton, who ran at the University of Wisconsin, remains the most
highly honored female athlete in NCAA track and field history, so much
so that the Big Ten's highest track honor is named after her.
She competed in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, but did not medal. Her most notable Olympic moment came in 2000, when she was leading the 1,500-meter final in Sydney. Her brother Dan had committed suicide the year before, and she sought to medal in his honor. But when she began slipping back in the pack, she fell to the ground."