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old Rush
ca’s most improbable track phenom,
n Felix, takes her quiet grace and
t stride to London in pursuit of her
dividual gold
BY CRISTINA ROUVALIS
FROMTHE BEGINNING,
Allyson Felix fit no one’s image of a track
superstar. As a teenager, shewas skinny, awkward. Her classmates
called her “Chicken Legs,” a nickname that naggingly endures to
this day. And when she decided to try out for the track team as
a freshman at Los Angeles Baptist High School, she showed up
wearing high-tops and baggy shorts. Felixmight not have looked
like much that day, but any doubts about her potential were put
to rest then and there. The coach timed her on a short sprint and
figured his stopwatch must be wrong. He timed her again and
realized a prodigy had just stepped onto his track. She joined
the team, blowing by other Division IV athletes to reach the state
finals, then winning several state titles in her sophomore year.
Felix hasn’t looked back since. Today, she is one of the greatest
runners on earth. The first woman towin three consecutive 200-
meter world titles, she’s a bona fide celebrity in track-obsessed
Europe. Even off-duty, she’s a striking spokeswoman for the sport,
known to trade workout gear for designer outfits and stylish
stile os for a night out.
Now, with the London 2012 Olympic Games kicking off in July,
the 26-year-old fromSanta Clarita, Calif., is chasing the one prize
that’s eluded her: an individual Olympic GoldMedal. Bywinning
big inLondon, shealsohopes tobe recognizedwithOlympic greats
such asMichael Johnson. That’s a lot of weight on Felix’s slender
shoulders, but she carries it well. “I call her ‘Seabiscuit,’” says
THE 200, IN BRIEF
When Allyson Felix steps onto the
track in London this July, she’ll join more than a century’s
worth of athletes in an event rich with history.
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
FEBRUARY 2012
HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES FOR USOC
When the modern Olympic Games began in
1896
, the 200-meter was
not on the slate. It was added in
1900
in Paris, and American runner
Walter Tewksbury won it in 22.2 seconds.
»
In
1904
in St. Louis, the
“MilwaukeeMeteor,” ArchieHahn, won the 60, 100 and 200. In the last,
he broke the Olympic record—and held it for a while. His time of 21.6
took 28 years to beat.
»
At the
1936
Berlin Games, in what was widely
seen as a repudiation of the Führer, African-American JesseOwens won
four gold medals in the 100, 200, relay and long jump.
»
The women’s
200-metermade its debut in the LondonGames of
1948
. Francina Blankers-
Ameri
Allyso
perfec
first in
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