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2012 will be my year, says Felix
BY DANIA BOGLE
Jamaican Observer
Monday, November 29, 2010
AFTER a rivalry with Jamaican Veronica Campbell Brown that has spanned at least six years and has seen her taking three World Championships titles, while her nemesis has triumphed at the Olympic Games, American Allyson Felix is hoping for a reversal at the London 2012 spectacle.
"I hope so. It's not so much fun doing it like that," the 25-year-old Felix told reporters at last weekend's World Athletics Gala in Monaco.
The contest first came to prominence in the 2004 Olympics in Athens where Campbell Brown won the women's 200 metres ahead of Felix.
The American won the title at the next two World Championships in Helsinki 2005 and Osaka 2007 before being once again beaten by Campbell Brown for the Olympic title in Beijing in 2008.
Felix returned to claim the World title in Berlin 2009 and was philosophical in assessing the history between the two.
"I've come to the realisation that it's my journey and it's kind of the path that I've taken and so I wouldn't change it," Felix said.
"I think that in the long run it's going to make me better and produce a greater result because I felt extremely motivated, extremely determined, so I feel like 2012 will be good," she added.
Felix, who along with Campbell Brown was nominated for the 2010 Female Athlete of the Year title, which eventually went to Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic, said the Jamaican superstar was simply better on those occasions that she won.
"I think it's clear she out-raced me," Felix stated. "She ran faster than I've ever run before in 2008 and in 2004 I was fresh on the scene and no one even expected me to make the team, so I think I was clearly out-raced in both and I don't think it's anything more than that."
Campbell Brown and Felix met only once this season in their first race of the IAAF Diamond League Adidas meeting in the United States where the Jamaica won in 21.98 seconds ahead of Felix in 22.03.
Felix said losing and not getting a rematch all season proved to be frustrating.
"It is a little frustrating just because I'm a competitor and I thrive off all those races, so it's frustrating that you get your only match-up, your first race, and you never get to really match up again, but it's the nature of an off-year and something you have to deal with," she said.
The versatile athlete, in the meantime, is preparing for next year's World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and said she is not likely to run indoors in the build-up to the August event.
"It's just such a long year, I really want to race sparingly," she concluded.
2012 will be my year, says Felix
BY DANIA BOGLE
Jamaican Observer
Monday, November 29, 2010
AFTER a rivalry with Jamaican Veronica Campbell Brown that has spanned at least six years and has seen her taking three World Championships titles, while her nemesis has triumphed at the Olympic Games, American Allyson Felix is hoping for a reversal at the London 2012 spectacle.
"I hope so. It's not so much fun doing it like that," the 25-year-old Felix told reporters at last weekend's World Athletics Gala in Monaco.
The contest first came to prominence in the 2004 Olympics in Athens where Campbell Brown won the women's 200 metres ahead of Felix.
The American won the title at the next two World Championships in Helsinki 2005 and Osaka 2007 before being once again beaten by Campbell Brown for the Olympic title in Beijing in 2008.
Felix returned to claim the World title in Berlin 2009 and was philosophical in assessing the history between the two.
"I've come to the realisation that it's my journey and it's kind of the path that I've taken and so I wouldn't change it," Felix said.
"I think that in the long run it's going to make me better and produce a greater result because I felt extremely motivated, extremely determined, so I feel like 2012 will be good," she added.
Felix, who along with Campbell Brown was nominated for the 2010 Female Athlete of the Year title, which eventually went to Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic, said the Jamaican superstar was simply better on those occasions that she won.
"I think it's clear she out-raced me," Felix stated. "She ran faster than I've ever run before in 2008 and in 2004 I was fresh on the scene and no one even expected me to make the team, so I think I was clearly out-raced in both and I don't think it's anything more than that."
Campbell Brown and Felix met only once this season in their first race of the IAAF Diamond League Adidas meeting in the United States where the Jamaica won in 21.98 seconds ahead of Felix in 22.03.
Felix said losing and not getting a rematch all season proved to be frustrating.
"It is a little frustrating just because I'm a competitor and I thrive off all those races, so it's frustrating that you get your only match-up, your first race, and you never get to really match up again, but it's the nature of an off-year and something you have to deal with," she said.
The versatile athlete, in the meantime, is preparing for next year's World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and said she is not likely to run indoors in the build-up to the August event.
"It's just such a long year, I really want to race sparingly," she concluded.
