After winning bronze in the women’s 400-meter race at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in London on Wednesday, Allyson Felix further locked in her place as one of the most dominant runners in history. It was the 14th world championship medal of the Santa Clarita resident’s career, tying her with Jamaican runners Merlene Ottey and Usain Bolt for the most world championship medals. Felix now has nine gold medals, three silver and two bronze, all of which were achieved in either the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter dash, the 4×100 relay or the 4×400 relay. Although most might consider the feat superhuman, Felix, 31, was disappointed after finishing the 400, a race she was expected to compete for gold in.
Entering the final turn in a rainy event with temperatures that couldn’t crack 60 degrees, she was slightly behind fellow American Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the same runner who’d lunged to beat Felix in the Rio Olympics 400-meter race. Miller-Uibo sustained an injury 30 meters from finishing Wednesday, and Felix unexpectedly slowed down as well to clock 50.08 seconds. “You always go into a race wanting to win, this was my goal all season. When you fall short of that, it’s definitely disappointing,” she said, according to ESPN.com. “At the same time, I feel very grateful to have done this for a very long time now. To be competing at the top still means a lot to me. “But I can’t lie. I’m very disappointed.” Although Bolt is expected to medal in the 4×100-meter relay to reach 15 world championship medals, Felix could maintain the tie with a medal in the 4×400 relay, which the United States is favored to win. Felix graduated from Los Angeles Baptist High School in 2003 and ran for USC in college. She lives in Santa Clarita.
In the U.S. Women’s Amateur’s Round of 64, Valencia resident Zoe Campos beat Lauren Hartlage of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista. Campos, who will play for West Ranch High this season, was ahead by four strokes with three holes left to play to secure the match-play win. She’ll take on Rinko Mitsunaga of Roswell, Georgia, in match play today at 9:50 a.m.