Miami Herald Logo

United States’ Allyson Felix wins 200-meter gold | Miami Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Site Information
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Herald Store
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Media Kit
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    • Sections
    • News
    • South Florida
    • Miami-Dade
    • Broward
    • Florida Keys
    • Florida
    • Politics
    • Weird News
    • Weather
    • National & World
    • Colombia
    • National
    • World
    • Americas
    • Cuba
    • Guantánamo
    • Haiti
    • Venezuela
    • Local Issues
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • In Depth
    • Issues & Ideas
    • Traffic
    • Sections
    • Sports
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Pro & College
    • Miami Dolphins
    • Miami Heat
    • Miami Marlins
    • Florida Panthers
    • College Sports
    • University of Miami
    • Florida International
    • University of Florida
    • Florida State University
    • More Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Fighting
    • Golf
    • Horse Racing
    • Outdoors
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Youth Sports
    • Other Sports
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • The Florida Influencer Series
    • Sections
    • Business
    • Business Monday
    • Banking
    • International Business
    • National Business
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate News
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Tourism & Cruises
    • Workplace
    • Business Plan Challenge
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Cindy Krischer Goodman
    • The Starting Gate
    • Work/Life Balancing Act
    • Movers
    • Sections
    • Living
    • Advice
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    • Home & Garden
    • Pets
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Wine
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Dave Barry
    • Ana Veciana-Suarez
    • Flashback Miami
    • More Living
    • LGBTQ South Florida
    • Palette Magazine
    • Indulge Magazine
    • South Florida Album
    • Broward Album
    • Sections
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music & Nightlife
    • People
    • Performing Arts
    • Restaurants
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Jose Lambiet
    • Lesley Abravanel
    • More Entertainment
    • Events Calendar
    • Miami.com
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Sections
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Ed
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Jim Morin
    • Letters to the Editor
    • From Our Inbox
    • Speak Up
    • Submit a Letter
    • Meet the Editorial Board
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Blog Directory
    • Columnist Directory
    • Andres Oppenheimer
    • Carl Hiaasen
    • Leonard Pitts Jr.
    • Fabiola Santiago
    • Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Place an Obituary

    • Place an ad
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Apartments
    • Auctions/Sales
    • Automotive
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Employment
    • Garage Sales
    • Legals
    • Merchandise
    • Obituaries
    • Pets
    • Public Notices
    • Real Estate
    • Services
  • Public Notices
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Real Estate
  • Mobile & Apps

  • el Nuevo Herald
  • Miami.com
  • Indulge

Sports

United States’ Allyson Felix wins 200-meter gold

By Linda Robertson

    ORDER REPRINT →

August 09, 2012 12:01 AM

Allyson Felix runs with so much grace it’s easy to forget how fast she’s moving. She turns the 200-meter dash into the 200-meter glide.

Felix looked elegantly effortless Wednesday night, but this time she added urgency to her stride. She had taken home two consecutive silver medals from the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. In London, she wanted gold.

She got the one medal that has eluded her by winning her half-lap specialty in 21.88 seconds. The woman who had beat her to the finish line the past two Olympics, Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown, faded in the last 50 meters and placed fourth.

Felix led a seven-medal haul for the United States on its most productive night yet at Olympic Stadium. The Americans won two medals in women’s long jump, two in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, two in the women’s 200 and one in the women’s 400 hurdles. Brittney Reese won the long jump and Aries Merritt won the sprint hurdles.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

In the men’s 200-meter semifinals, Jamaica’s Yohan Blake advanced to Thursday’s final with the fastest time of 20.01, and Usain Bolt ran an easy 20.18. Bolt is attempting to become the first man to win the 100 and 200 at successive Olympics.

“That’s why I am here, to cement my legendary status,” he said.

Felix said her triumph was “a long time coming.” She’s a four-time world champion but Jamaica’s VCB had made her second best at the Olympics.

“The moments that motivated me most were losing on the biggest stage,” she said. “At the time I said I would exchange all the world-championship medals for an Olympic gold, but now I embrace my journey.”

U.S. teammate Carmelita Jeter finished third four days after placing second in the 100 meters. Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 100 winner, was second in 22.09.

Sanya Richards-Ross, who won the 400 meters on Monday, tried an Olympic double for the first time and was impressive. The Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas graduate placed fifth in 22.39, just .01 behind Campbell-Brown.

Felix attempted her own double, and she said running in the 100 meters — after a controversial tie with her training partner at the Olympic trials — was key to her victory.

“The 100 was huge for me,” said Felix, who finished fifth in the 100. “Just the speed and being aggressive — that’s something that hasn’t always been there for me.”

Felix, outside in Lane 7, had a slight lead over Campbell-Brown coming off the curve. But then Campbell-Brown faded in the stretch as Fraser-Pryce moved up and Jeter made a late surge from Lane 9.

Felix, 26, of Los Angeles, said her brother Wes, who is also her manager, reminded her to get out hard and use her long legs to her advantage on the curve.

“When she loses races it’s always in the first 60 meters,” he said.

“Veronica would get too far ahead and she couldn’t catch her.”

Felix is a placid, pleasant personality in the world of preening sprinters. Occasionally, that demeanor seeped onto the track.

“I think my running style is a gift and a curse,” she said. “It looks very fluid, but sometimes you have to get into aggressive mode, quicker turnover. People look at me and say I’m floating. Sometimes I get too complacent, and I need to keep digging.”

Campbell-Brown hugged Felix after the race and said, “I’m happy for her. I know how bad she wanted this.”

Jeter said the 200 women wanted to set the tone for the U.S. team to “step it up” in the medals race.

Merritt skimmed over the hurdles with nary a nick to become the first American to win the event since Allen Johnson in 1996. Jason Richardson was second. Merritt prevailed over a field that did not include two of his top rivals. China’s Liu Xiang, who met with injury heartbreak at the Beijing Games, couldn’t even make it over the first hurdle in his qualifying round because of an Achilles injury. Defending Olympic champ Dayron Robles of Cuba pulled up in the final, holding his hamstring, after the sixth hurdle.

“I had a pretty decent start,” Merritt said. “Halfway through I heard this yell.”

Reese added Olympic gold to her glittering résumé with a winning leap of 23 feet, 4 1/2 inches. She became the first American woman to win the Olympic long jump since Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988. She had wanted to win gold in Beijing for her hurricane-ravaged home of Gulfport, Miss., but she placed a disappointing fifth. The gold, she said, is in honor of the rebuilding efforts along the Gulf Coast. Reese’s teammate Janay DeLoach was third.

Lashinda Demus was second in the 400 hurdles. T’Erea Brown, formerly of the University of Miami, was sixth. Murielle Ahoure, another UM alum, was sixth in the 200.

Related stories from Miami Herald

sports

Miami Heat’s LeBron James leads Team USA past Australia

August 09, 2012 12:01 AM

sports

U.S. team’s Claressa Shields, Kayla Harrison and Holley Mangold are strong inside and out

August 09, 2012 12:01 AM

miami-heat

Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade visits U.S. men’s basketball team at London Olympics

August 09, 2012 12:01 AM

sports

Dave Barry: Olympic Games not just about sportsmanship

August 09, 2012 12:01 AM

  Comments  

Videos

Zion Williamson injured as Duke falls to North Carolina

Erik Spoelstra on return of Goran Dragic and Derrick Jones Jr.

View More Video

Trending Stories

It’s not so hard for an immigrant to become a U.S. citizen. Here’s what you have to do

February 20, 2019 01:20 PM

Think Florida is a ‘sinful’ place to live? You’re right, according to this new study

February 20, 2019 01:18 PM

Americans arrested in Haiti driving around with an arsenal are flown to the U.S.

February 20, 2019 06:54 PM

Cuts are coming for Dolphins’ receivers, but there’s one their new coach raves about

February 19, 2019 12:31 PM

Here are two young players the new Dolphins staff really likes. And two issues looming

February 20, 2019 04:00 PM

Read Next

Georgia basketball team loses after fan throws stuffed animal on the court

SEC

Georgia basketball team loses after fan throws stuffed animal on the court

By Pete Grathoff

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 21, 2019 09:23 AM

The Mississippi men’s basketball team made a free throw to break a tie after a Georgia was given a technical foul because a fan threw a stuffed animal on the court with 0.5 seconds to play on Wednesday night.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE SPORTS

With Zion injured, No. 8 UNC routs No. 1 Duke 88-72

Nation & World

With Zion injured, No. 8 UNC routs No. 1 Duke 88-72

February 21, 2019 02:11 AM
Syracuse coach Boeheim strikes, kills pedestrian on highway

Nation & World

Syracuse coach Boeheim strikes, kills pedestrian on highway

February 21, 2019 11:08 AM
Get hip to this: Paris wants Olympic debut for breakdance

Nation & World

Get hip to this: Paris wants Olympic debut for breakdance

February 21, 2019 11:01 AM
Barcelona struggling in attack entering decisive stretch

Sports

Barcelona struggling in attack entering decisive stretch

February 21, 2019 10:59 AM
Indians, reliever Clippard agree to terms on minor contract

Sports

Indians, reliever Clippard agree to terms on minor contract

February 21, 2019 10:51 AM
Ronaldo’s opponents triumphant in his return to Madrid

Sports

Ronaldo’s opponents triumphant in his return to Madrid

February 21, 2019 10:51 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Miami Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Public Insight Network
  • Reader Panel
Advertising
  • Place a Classified
  • Media Kit
  • Commercial Printing
  • Public Notices
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story