Allyson Felix

Allyson Felix was born on November 18, 1985 in California. Nicknamed "Chicken Legs" for her lanky physique, Felix went out for the track team in 7th grade. She excelled from the start, within a year finishing seventh in the 200-meter dash at the CIF California State Meet, eventually becoming a five-time winner. At the 2004 Summer Games, she finished second in the women's 200-meter race, behind Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, and earned the silver medal. She earned another silver at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, again finishing behind Campbell-Brown. She earned her first gold that year, with the women's 4-by-400-meter relay team. Felix became a three-time Olympic gold medalist in 2012; at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she won two gold medals, in the women's 200 and the 4-by-100-meter relay. Early Life Olympic gold medalist and famed sprinter Allyson Felix was born on November 18, 1985 in Los Angeles, California. Felix was raised a devout Christian by her father, an ordained minister, and her mother, a local elementary school teacher. Her older brother, Wes Felix,is also a sprinter. Athletically gifted from a young age, Felix began playing basketball as a kid, where she was cleverly nicknamed "Chicken Legs" for her lanky physique. In order to demonstrate her physical strength, she went out for the track team while in the 7th grade. She excelled from the start, within a year finishing seventh in the 200-meter dash at the CIF California State Meet, eventually becoming a five-time winner. In 2003, Track and Field News named Felix its national girls "High School Athlete of the Year." Soon after, 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. In 2003, Felix decided to forge college eligibility and instead sign a professional contract with Adidas, who picked up her college tuition at the University of Southern California. Olympic Medalist At just 18 years old, Felix competed in her first Olympics, the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. Competing in the 200-meter race, she finished second, behind Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, and earned the silver medal. In 2005, she became the youngest champion to compete at the World Championships, and two years later, she became only the second female to win three gold medals at a single World Championships. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Felix ran a personal best of 21.93 in the 200 meters, but again finished behind Campbell-Brown, taking a second silver medal. She did, however, earn one gold medal that year, with the women's 4-by-400-meter relay team. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Felix finally struck an independent gold medal, beating out Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Carmelita Jeter in the 200, respectively, with a time of 21.88 seconds. Her longtime rival, Veronica Campbell-Brown, finished fourth in the race. Felix went on to compete in the 4-by-100-meter relay, and, along with teammates Carmelita Jeter, Bianca Knight and Tianna Madison, won a gold medal. The relay team also set a new world record, with a time of 40.82 seconds (the previous record was 41.37 seconds, set in 1985 by East Germany. Felix is coached by Bobby Kersee, husband of track legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee.