adidas has signed sprinter Allyson Felix, the 2003 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, to a product endoresemnt and marketing deal. Felix has gone from a nationally ranked junior, to a competitor at the World Championships. Earlier this year, Felix achieved the fastest 200m time in the world.
While competing on the world stage, Felix has chosen to pursue a college education at the University of Southern California where she will be joining her brother Wes this fall.
Kevin Wulff, Director of Sports Marketing for adidas America, welcomed Felix. “Allyson's passion and commitment to her education and her sport are among the character traits that not only make her a world class athlete, but a valuable addition to the adidas family.”
Felix says she is delighted to partner with adidas. “Joining the adidas family is an exciting step in my career. This is a wonderful opportunity for me that will allow me to pursue both my educational and athletic dreams,” stated Felix. “I will have the best of both worlds, going to college and being able to compete at the highest level of Track and Field.”
Her time of 22.11 in the 200m at the Grand Prix in Mexico City in May of this year was not only enough to defeat a strong field of sprinters, but it was faster than every winning time at the Olympic Games through 1976, beating the 1996 gold medal winning time by .01 seconds. This was the latest in a run of record-breaking performances by the young talent in 2003. At the 2003 USA Indoor Championships, Felix tied the US high school record in the 200 with her time of 23.22 in the semifinals, then broke the record in the finals with her second-place time of 23.14.
