Allyson Felix

Allyson Michelle Felix was born in Los Angeles on November 18 1985. Paul Felix, her father, was an ordained pastor at Master's Seminary Sun Valley. Marlean Felix worked at Balboa Magnet elementary school. Felix displayed a knack for sports early in her life, and discovered her athletic abilities when she attended the Los Angeles Baptist High School. In just 10 weeks following her initial tryout, she placed in second place in the 200m race at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championship. Felix got a contract to pursue professional work with Adidas in 2003. She later enrolled in University of Southern California to study elementary education. Her first Olympic medal was at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens Greece. Felix set a world junior record for taking 200 meters in 22.18 secs. She was the youngest ever world athlete to win the 200 meters at the Helsinki World Championships and defended her title in 2007, beating the long-time Jamaican opponent Veronica Campbell. Felix had a steady performance at Beijing, London Rio de Janeiro, as well as Tokyo. She often finished among the top three in every event.