Adding a gold medal in the 200m dash at the Olympic games Wednesday, Allyson Felix (pictured) is now the most-decorated woman in the race’s history. Here are 10 facts about the track star and her steady rise to the biggest stage in the world that you probably didn’t know.
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1) Felix’s high school trackmates nicknamed her “chicken legs” because of her long and skinny legs. [Source: USA Track And Field]
2) At the 2011 World Outdoor Track Championships, Felix took home a silver medal in the 400m dash and a bronze in the 200m. [Source: USA Track And Field]
3) With her win in the 200m dash at the London Games, Felix now has seven Olympic and world championships medals in 200m dashes. Four of them are gold. [Source: Boston.com]
Watch Allyson Felix at the 2012 IAAF Track And Field Diamond League:
4) Felix won the Jesse Owens award in 2005, 2007, and 2010. [Source: USA Track And Field]
5) Felix has been running professionally since 2003. [Source: Allysonfelix.com]
6) According to USA Today, Felix once leg-pressed 700 pounds and dead-lifted 245 pounds. [Source: USA Track And Field]
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7) At the 2009 IAAF World Championships, Felix became the first woman in history to win three world 200m titles. [Source: USA Track And Field]
Watch Allyson Felix on Trans World Sport:
8) Shortly after graduating from high school in 2007, Felix signed a contract with Adidas. The shoe company also helped pay her tuition at the University of Southern California. [Source: Wikipedia]
9) Ten weeks after trying out for her school’s track team in seventh grade, Felix placed seventh in the 200m at the CIF California State Meet. She would go on to become a five-time winner at the meet. [Source: Wikipedia]
10) Felix won her first Olympic medal at the 2004 Athens Games in the women’s 200m.
