2006 DRAKE RELAYS RELEASE # 7
DES MOINES, IOWA - Sprint sensation Allyson Felix, who won the 200 at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships, and was named the 2005 U.S. Track and Field Athlete of the Year, will run in a women's invitational 100-meter dash at the Drake Relays April 29.
Felix captured the silver medal in the 200 at the 2004 Olympics and is the reigning two-time U.S. outdoor champion in the 200.
The Los Angeles, Calif., native finished fifth in voting for the 2005 World Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
"We are very fortunate to have a track and field performer the cailber of Allyson Felix compete at the Drake Relays," said meet director
Brian Brown. " She is a special competitor. What she has accomplished at her age is remarkable and she will only continue to get better in dominating the sprints."
She went undefeated to rank No. 1 in the world in the 200, capped by winning the 2005 World Outdoor Championships. She ran a 2005 season best of 22.13 seconds en route to winning the U.S. Outdoor Championships.
Felix became the youngest performer to earn the U.S. Track and Field Athlete of the Year award by Track and Field News since 1976. She also was recipient of the Jesse Owens Award as the top women's track and field performer by USA Track and Field.
Felix's headlines already make up an impressive book: winning the California high school state titles in the 100/200 as a sophomore and junior; breaking Marion Jones' 200 national high school record, then setting a World Junior record as a prep senior; deciding to turn pro right out of high school; winning the 2004 Olympic Trials and taking an Olympic silver medal at 18; then defending her U.S. title in 2005 before rushing to the head of her class with a World Championship victory in Helsinki, Finland. And she only turned 20 in mid-November.
Felix won her second straight national title in the 200 at the 2005 USA Outdoor Championships turning back fierce competition to post the fastest time in the world of 22.13 seconds.
In just over a year Felix has gone from being a national-caliber junior athlete to a world junior record-breaker, World Championships competitor and Olympic 200-meter silver medalist.
As the youngest person on the U.S. team, at 18 years old, Felix won her first Olympic medal in the 200 and secured the world junior record of 22.18.
Felix won the 2004 Olympic Trials 200 in 22.28, a time that was faster than every winning time at the Olympics hrough 1976 and it beat the 1996 gold medal winning time of France's Marie Jose Perec by .0l seconds.
Felix won the 200 at the 2003 USA Indoor Championships and earned a bronze medal in the 200 at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Felix also was ranked No. 9 in the world in the 100 last year, running a season/personal best 11.05.
Her 22.51 clocking in the 200 at the 2003 Mt. SAC Relays broke Marion Jones' previous USA junior and high school record of 22.58 set in 1992.
A five-time California state prep champ (three-time 100, two-time 200), Felix also won the 100 at the 2001 World Youth meet.
Here is complete Allyson Felix bio, courtesy of www.usatf.org
ALLYSON FELIX
Events: 200m
Height: 5-6
Weight: 125
PRs: 100m 11.05 (2005); 200m 22.11 (2003); 400m 51.12 (2005)
Born: November 18, 1985 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Current Residence: Los Angeles, Calif.
High School: Los Angeles Baptist HS (Calif.) 03
Coach: Bob Kersee
Agent: Renaldo Nehemiah
Club: adidas
Career Highlights: 2005 World Outdoor 200m champion; Two-time USA Outdoor 200m champion (04 & 05); 2004 Olympic silver medalist; World Junior record holder; 2004 Olympic Trials & USA junior champion; 2004 USA Junior 100m runner-up; 2003 USA Indoor champion; 2003 Pan American Games bronze medalist; Five-time California state prep champion (three-time 100m, two-time 200m); 2001 World Youth 100m gold medalist
2005 was a phenomenal year for Felix, who was undefeated in the 200, won the world title, set personal bests at 100 and 400 meters, and earned the Jesse Owens Award as the countrys top female athlete. She won her second straight national title in the 2005 Visa 200 meters at the USA Outdoor Championships (22.13WL), then came from behind to win the world title in Helsinki in 22.16. On the year, Felix owned the three fastest times in the world in 2005 From 2003 to 2004, Felix went from being a national-caliber junior athlete to a world junior record-breaker, World Championships competitor, and Olympic 200m silver medalistas an 18-year-old, she won her first Olympic medal in the womens 200m in Athens and secured the world junior record that she had waited a year to officially break, clocking 22.18the performance gave Felix, the youngest person on the U.S. team, the world junior record by .01 seconds. She beat the existing record of 22.19, set in 1980 by the Soviet Unions Natalya Bochina. Ironically, her time of 22.18 was not a personal best for FelixOn May 3, 2003, she ran 22.11 in Mexico City, but because meet organizers did not arrange in advance for drug testing at the meet, it could not be officially ratified by the IAAFFelix won the 2004 Olympic Trials 200m (22.28) a time that was faster than every winning time at the Olympic Games through 1976, and it bests the 1996 gold medal-winning time of Frances Marie Jose Perec by .01 secondsat the 2003 USA Indoor Championships, she tied the U.S. high school record in the 200 with her time of 23.22 in the semifinals, then broke the record in the finals with her win in 23.14 secondsoutdoors in 2003, her 22.51 clocking at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 19 broke Marion Jones previous USA junior and high school record of 22.58, set in 1992ran a wind-aided 11.12 100m on May 30 in Cerritos, Calif., at the California masters meether time of 22.52 in winning the California state title broke Marion Jones high school federation record for the fastest time ever run in a high school-only competitionFelix won her first California high school championship as a sophomore in 2001, when she won the 100as a junior in 2002, she won the 100 and 200, both with U.S.-leading times among junior (19-and-under) athletesher father Paul, is an ordained minister who teaches New Testament Greek at the Masters Seminary in Sun Valley, Califher mother, Marlean, is an elementary school teacherhigh school teammates call her chicken legs due to her long, spindly legsdidnt start running track until her freshman year of high schoolUSA Today reported that she has leg-pressed 700 pounds on a machine and dead-lifted 245Felix was a prep media sensation, having had front-page articles in Sports Illustrated and USA Today, among other publicationsan extensive profile of Felix was featured by CNN on June 10, 2003attends the University of Southern California, where her older brother, Wes was the 2002 USA junior champion at 200 meters (21.57)after the 2003 season, Felix switched coaches, moving from Pat Connolly to Bobby Kersee. Her 2005 performances helped make Kersee the 2005 Nike Coach of the Year ...web site is www.allysonfelixusa.com
2005: 200m World Outdoor Champion (22.16)1st in 200m at USA Outdoor Champs (22.13)1st in 200m at adidas Track Classic (22.14)3rd in 100m at Rome (11.14)3rd in 100m at Stockholm (11.29)7th in 100m at Zurich (11.18)1st in 100m at Yokohama (11.05PR)1st in 200m at Doha (22.78)1st in 200m at Monterrey (22.31)1st in 200m at World Athletics Final (22.27)1st at Norwich Union (51.12PR) ranked #1 in the world (#1 U.S.) in 200m and #9 in the world (#4 U.S.) in 100m by T&FNbests of 11.05 in 100m and 22.13 in 200m.
2004: Olympic 200m silver medalist (22.18 WJ)Olympic Trials 200m champion (22.28)...USA Junior 200m champion (22.73)2nd in 100m at Modesto (11.19)2nd in 100m at Mt. Sac (11.14w)3rd in 200m at Payton Jordan US Open (22.71)3rd at adidas Oregon Track Classic (23.12)2nd in 400m in Mexico City (51.83)1st Linz 100m in PR 11.167th in 60m at USA Indoors (7.33)2nd in 400m at adidas Boston Indoor Games (52.28)5th in 60m at Verizon Millrose Games (7.36)ranked #2 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FNbest of 22.18.
2003: USA Indoors 200m champion (23.14 national HS record)Pan American Games 200m Bronze medalist (22.93)...3rd at USA Outdoors 200m (22.59)3rd in Paris on July 4 200m (22.66)6th in heat 3 at World Outdoor Championships 200m (23.33)1st in Mexico City 200m (22.11 U.S. junior record, faster than existing WJR)1st at Mt. SAC Relays in 200m (22.51 U.S. junior record) and 100m HS (11.24w)ran 23.22 in semis at USA Indoors to tie previous HS record3rd in semifinal heat at World Indoors (23.29)1st at Pasadena Games in 400m (52.26)won the California state high school championships 100m (11.29), 200m (22.52) ranked #8 in the world (#3 U.S.) at 200m by T&FNbests of 11.29, 22.11, 52.26.
2002: Runner-up at USA junior champs (23.31)5th at World Juniors (23.48)won California HS titles at 100m (11.40) and 200m (22.83, fastest by a U.S. junior in 2002)bests of 11.40 and 22.83.
2001: Won 100m at the 2001 World Youth Athletics (11.57)ran the 200 leg on Team USAs winning Sprint Medley Relay (2:03.82)Won California HS title at 100m (11.61), second in 200 (23.27)won the 200m at Youth Athletics nationals (23.82)bests of 11.51 and 23.31.
2000: 7th at California HS champs (24.35).
1/18/06
