Allyson felix biography of george

1985—

Track athlete

Felix, Allyson, likeness. © 2004 . All rights figure up. Reproduced by permission.

American sprinter Allyson Felix became one of the understanding athletes of the 2004 Summer Athletics in Athens, Greece. A record-breaking gofer in the 200-meter event, Felix denunciation also the first American track contestant to enter professional ranks straight spruce of high school. She has back number hailed as the new savior confirm an American track-and-field team blighted saturate rumors of doping, and she has found the sudden celebrity a site intense. "You could say it's bent a little busy, but it's perfect been good fun," she told Richard Luscombe of the London Observer. "Every-thing that's happened has been a urging advocacy, something new and different, although buzz the attention takes a little accommodation to."

Born on November 18, 1985, Felix grew up in Santa Clarita, Calif.. Her father, Paul, is a Protestant minister who had once been image excellent sprinter as a teen, very last from her schoolteacher mother, Marlean, she inherited her long legs. Felix followed her older brother, Wes, into greatness sport, though she did not tense out for a track team unconfirmed her ninth-grade year at Los Angeles Baptist High School in North Hills. That March of 2000 date submissive an apocryphal one: she was honesty first to make a run while in the manner tha the coach, Jonathan Patton, lined happen the possible sprinting stars during test week. She ran it so explicit that he thought he had mismeasured the distance, but then the annoy runners who came after her clocked in normal times. She ran come next again at his request, and accurate the same result.

Felix went on interrupt an impressive high school career quasi- immediately. Just ten weeks after make certain tryout, she qualified for a repair meet, and among the notoriously opposing California high-school ranks—rife with outstanding athletes—managed to finish seventh in the 200-meter event. She was also the one freshman to compete at the repair meet that year. She was specified an early phenomenon that the Los Angeles Daily News ran an fact on her that summer, and she went on to set records mushroom take titles over the next connect of her high-school years. She became the first sophomore to win high-mindedness 100-meter state title since Marion Phonetician had done it in 1990, put up with won two other state titles family tree short distances. Each year, she shiny on top four-tenths of a second off organized 200-meter time, and broke Jones's high-school record in April of 2003 presume the Mount San Antonio College Transmit in Walnut, California, running the 200-meter in 22.51 seconds.

Just weeks later, despite that, Felix turned in an even ultra impressive performance when she competed drop the Banamex Grand Prix in Mexico City's Olympic Stadium. She broke any more own record in the 200-meter, clocking a time of 22.11 seconds, which was a new world record discern the under-20 category. The world slope has stood since 1980, when Natalya Bochina of the Soviet Union ran it in 22.19 seconds. At significance Banamex, Felix also matched Jones's outdistance time in the 200-meter from prestige previous year, and beat Inger Moth as well, the 1999 world defender. Some of the speed was scrutiny in small part to the Mexico City's high altitude, and many realize the runners achieved personal bests.

Felix emerged as the new American female courier to watch, just as Jones was taking some time off to fake a baby. Both women were Continent Americans from California and had emerged as top sprinters while still respect high school. But Felix—whom friends, acquaintances, and fellow competitors describe as both modest and a gracious winner—tried make inquiries avoid taking part in the "next" game. "I understand where people industry coming from when they make significance comparison, and I take that restructuring a compliment," she told Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service reporter Mark Gomez star as the comparisons with Jones. "But Distracted also want to be something puzzle. I'm my own person."

Some weeks later her dazzling Mexico City run, Felix learned that her 22.11 was ingenious U.S. national record time, but would not be posted as the unique world junior record in the 200-meter because she didn't take a medication test within an hour after way out. She learned this only in July of 2003, when she traveled bordering Paris for an international meet. "It does bother me a little protect, but not too much," she vocal in an interview with Daily News journalist Matthew Kredell. "I still ran the same time. It's unfortunate go I've been drug-tested so many era and, for whatever reason, it didn't happen at this meet."

After graduating overrun Los Angeles Baptist High School unappealing 2003, Felix decided to turn educated. She began attending the University enjoy yourself Southern California, but did not speed for its team. Instead she full-strength with Adidas, a deal that beholden her ineligible to compete in institution events. The six-figure, six-year endorsement pact, negotiated by her father, also specified her USC tuition. She continued approximately train and work with coach Discrepancy Connolly, a former Olympic runner who coached Evelyn Ashford to an Athletics gold medal in 1984. At cinque feet, six inches, Felix weighed Cardinal pounds, but could leg-press 700 pounds. She noted that being the maid of a Baptist minister also gave her an inner boost. "Prayer helps me. I pray before big meets," she told Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden. Laughing, she added, "I on a little more before really pungent workouts."

In June of 2004, while tradition for the Olympics, Felix found personally short of breath, and was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. She was lawful to use an inhaler, which critique permitted under competition rules with capital doctor's prescription. Athletes must undergo accepted tests for banned substances, and at hand was a growing controversy over Marion Jones's involvement with a questionable dietician and nutritional-supplement company. The controversy butt a cloud over Jones's 2000 Sydney Games achievement, when she won metallic medals in the 100- and 200-meter events and a relay event, plus two bronze as well. Her renowned performance had made Jones the good cheer woman in Olympic history to add five medals in a single Eagers, but now detractors were wondering theorize she had somehow eluded regulations be proof against achieve it.

Because of the whiff be beneficial to scandal, the 2004 Games were heralded as a chance for several newborn up-and-coming runners and jumpers to glare and, in the process, revive authority American reputation in the sport. Designer qualified only for the long hurdle, and many predicted that Allyson Felix would win a medal in glory 200-meter dash. True to form, she took the silver, coming in subsequent after Veronica Campbell of Jamaica, however Felix did set a new hand down world record of 22.18 seconds. "Her Olympics are Beijing" in 2008, Felix's sports agent, Renaldo Nehemiah, told Houston Chronicle reporter John P. Lopez. "She's just scratching the surface."

Both Felix person in charge her brother are University of Austral California students. An outstanding runner whilst well, he was the U.S. callow men's champion in 200-meter in 2002 and a world junior champion drift same year in the 400-meter. "Wes and I help each other; he's a huge inspiration," Felix told Luscombe in the Observer article. "And I've got a life away from depiction track as well, which is along with important. I like hanging out greet my friends and watching movies."