Canyon Country’s Allyson Felix and her USA teammates shattered a 27-year-old world record when they crossed the finish line in London Friday to win gold in the 4×100-meter relay.
In fact, so enduring was the old record that the country that set it no longer exists. The USA women’s time of 40.82 was more than half a second better than the the mark of 41.37 set by East Germany in 1985.
Friday’s runner-up, Jamaica, set a national record at 41.41 – and it wasn’t close.
“It is a relief, it is a joy, it is everything,” Felix, 26, said in a post-event interview with the International Olympic Committee.
“That was the most thrilling experience ever,” she told NBC.
Felix ran the second leg of the race, which was led off for the U.S. by Tianna Madison. Felix passed the baton flawlessly to Bianca Knight, and anchor Carmelia Jeter knew her team had demolished the world record before she even crossed the finish line.
“In the warm up area, I went up to Allyson and said that we were probably going to get the world record,” Knight told U.S. Olympic Committee correspondent Jeffrey Lowe. “I didn’t know we’d do it. I was actually joking, because we did run so fast in the heat.”
They did it through solid teamwork – from a group of women who are accustomed to competing against one another.
“We went into this race the most comfortable I have seen this team,” said Jeter. “We were laughing and smiling. We have never been like that.”
It was the first time the United States won the event since 1996.
For Felix it was the second gold medal of the London Games. She took her first individual Olympic gold Wednesday when she won the 200m sprint.
Read about Felix’s 200m race here => http://scvnews.com/?p=34178
Photo: Allyson Felix / Facebook
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