Allyson Felix

 

Allyson Felix was born on November 18, 1985 in Las Angeles, California. She was raised by Christian parents and has one brother, who is also a runner. She began playing sports at a young age, starting with basketball. She gained the nickname “Chicken Legs” because of her lanky legs. She began running track in 7^th grade and excelled from the start. In 2003, Felix was named High School Athlete of the Year. As a high school senior, she finished second in the 200 at the U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships. That same year, she made history in Mexico City, finishing the 200-meter race in 22.11 seconds, a new world record in the under-20 category. After that, she signed a contract with Adidas and went to the University of Southern California.  

 

When Felix was only 18 years old, she competed in her first Olympics, the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. She finished second in the 200-meter dash, earning a silver medal. In 2005, she became the youngest champion to compete at the World Championships. Two years later, she became the second female to win three gold medals at a single World Championships. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.93 seconds. She also won a gold medal for the 4-by-400 meter relay race. At the 2012 London Olympics, Felix won her first gold in the 200-meter run with a time of 21.88 seconds. She went on to win a gold medal for the 4-by-100 meter relay, setting the world record time of 40.82 seconds.

 

 

 

 

"Allyson Felix." USA Track & Field. USA Track and Field, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Allyson-Felix.aspx>.

"Allyson Michelle Felix." 2014. The Biography Channel website. Jan 16 2014, 12:42 http://www.biography.com/people/allyson-felix-20928869. 

Hope, Dan. "Sochi 2014 Olympics." Bleacher Report. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1295152-london-games-ranking-top-20-womens-performers-in-2012-olympic-track-and-fiel/page/12>.