Allyson Felix

Allyson Michel Felix was born on November 18, 1985, in Los Angeles. Paul Felix, her father, was an ordained pastor of Master's Seminary Sun Valley. Marlean Felix worked at Balboa Magnet school for children in the elementary grades. Felix displayed an early talent for sports when she was attending Los Angeles Baptist High School. She discovered her sprinting potential at the time. Within a short time after her first race, Felix finished second in the 200 meter race in the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championship. Felix was a high school graduate when she graduated from school in 2003, signed a sports contract with Adidas. She then attended an institution called the University of Southern California and studied elementary education. Felix's first Olympic medal came at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens Greece. Felix set an international junior record sprinting 200 meters in 22.18 secs. She became the youngest world champion of 200 meters at the Helsinki World Championships. She won the title again in 2007 beating her longtime Jamaican opponent Veronica Campbell. Felix always placed in the top third of each of her races in Beijing London Rio de Janeiro Tokyo.