After failing to qualify for the 200 meters, six-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix was left with a single-minded purpose here at these Summer Games: To win gold in the 400.
She’s off to a good start. One month after battling through an ankle injury at the U.S. trials, Felix won her qualifying heat in the event (51.24 seconds), showing her international competition the stride that has placed her among the most decorated female Olympians in the USA’s track and field history.
“I felt comfortable,” Felix said. “I’m just excited to get that first one under my belt.”
The ankle feels good, she added ¡ if only in comparison to its status last month in Oregon. It was in April that Felix suffered her injury, in what she described as a “scary moment” during weight training.
“An accident in the gym turned my preparation upside down,” she said in an Instagram post before the trials. “Undoubtedly, this will be the hardest team I try to make. I refuse to give up on my dreams.”
She’s made clear progress in the month since, working alongside her longtime coach, Bobby Kersee, to regain the form that has her one medal away from breaking the U.S. female record for Olympic medals held by Jackie Joyner-Kersee — Bobby’s husband and one of Felix’s off-track mentors.
“Once you get moving it feels good,” she said. “Just the recovery is key now.”
Felix's teammates, Phyllis Francis and Natasha Hastings, also advanced.
