Allyson Felix: Road to London Olympics and the Fall of Florence Joyner's Decades Old Olympic Trials Record

Heavily decorated Allyson Michelle Felix, born on November 11th 1985 in Los Angeles, became an American and international track star as a teenager, such that at age 26 she is already a legend and a veteran. Her accolades include USA relay gold medals and many national, world championship and track meet victories in 100m, 200m, and 400m. Her early accolades include a World Youth Championship win (at age 16) in the 100m in Debrecen, Hungary in 2001, and a gold medal in the 4 x 100m USA team relay at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo in 2003. What Felix certainly longs for is that individual Olympic medal that she competed for in the 100m and 200m at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. At both Olympics, held respectively in Athens and Beijing, Felix was beaten into second in the 200m.

On June 30th 2012 in Eugene at the USA Olympic Trials in Oregon, her national victory in the 200m proved that she is on track to bag the gold in the event at the Olympic Games to be held in London during July and August of 2012. On June 30th, in the 200m national Olympic Trials finals, Allyson Felix (21.69) beat her highly competent and heavily decorated veteran team-mates Carmelita Jeter (22.11) and Sanya Richards-Ross (22.22) who had already qualified for London in other sprint events, by a significant margin.

The personal-best win established Felix as the new Olympic Trials 200m record holder, as the meet record previously established by legendary Florence Griffith-Joyner (21.77) on July 22nd 1988 when Allyson was 2 years-old, became obliterated! ALL-IS-ON! A previously anxious crowd of spectators became elated by the performance, Allyson was all-smiles! Besides an Olympic gold, another personal best, even a new world record is not out of the picture in the future of young Allyson Felix!

Only two Americans have established better times in the 200m. Griffith-Joyner established the world records 21.56 and 21.34 on September 29th 1988 at the Olympics in Seoul in the semi-finals and finals, respectively. The other with a better time than Felix is Marion Jones who ran in 21.62 on September 11th 1998 at the IAAF World Championships held in Johannesburg. Coincidentally, both "Flo-Jo" and Marion Jones were also residents of Los Angeles.

Felix together with team-mate Jeneba Tarmoh (11.07) were previously declared equally tied third in the 100m finals at the same Trials. The eventual third American competitor in the 100m was scheduled to be determined by the beginning of July. The winner in the event was Carmelita Jeter (10.92), followed by Tianna Madison (10.96).

Jonathan Musere