U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Allyson Felix Talks Grace Under Pressure

U.S. Olympic Sprinter Allyson Felix, 26, left London with three gold medals and a bright, big smile. Felix captured gold in the 200-meter, the 4×400-meter relay, and the world-record 4×100-meter relay. Competing in her third Olympics, Felix finally won the gold in the 200-meter, an event in which she brought home silver in both 2004 and 2008.
Felix, a native of Los Angeles, Calif., took up track and field as a freshman in high school, rather late for an Olympian. However, she soon demonstrated that she belonged with the most experienced runners. Upon graduating high school, Felix elected to turn professional immediately and forgo her college eligibility, signing a contract with Adidas, though she still attended the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education in 2008.
Felix took the Olympic field by storm at the 2004 Games in Athens, winning silver in the 200-meter when she was only 18. However, Felix’s failure to capture gold in the 200-meter, her signature event, in 2008 is well-chronicled and had been a major obstacle for the track star.
Felix’s entered this year’s Games with her past struggles in mind. “I think my experiences before with the Olympic games are just huge,” Felix told Uinterview exclusively. “Each time was a little different and I feel like I took away some different stuff and now I’m finally at a place where I can use it. And just everything, you know, competing away from home, the whole Olympic deal, it’s a lot of pressure and [I learned] how to handle all that stuff.”