Allyson Felix ends track career with bronze at World Athletics Championships
Jul 16, 2022
Eugene (Oregon) [US], July 16 : American legendary athlete Allyson Felix, a 7-time Olympic gold winner, won a bronze medal in the 4X400m mixed relay event at the World Championships, her 19th and last medal at the World Athletics Championships.
Her bronze medal is her 19th at the world championship in a career that started almost two decades ago and also included 11 Olympic medals. She had announced earlier that she will retire after the Championship event.
Speaking of the 4X400m mixed relay event at the World Championships, Elijah Godwin was holding a slight lead when she handed the baton to Felix, who seemed to be running alone for a while, but was overtaken by Marilady Paulino of the Dominican Republic. The US had to be satisfied with the bronze medal after trailing the Dominican Republic (3 min, 9.82 s) and the Netherlands.
It has been nearly two decades since Felix won her first major medal, taking silver in the 200m at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games at the age of 18. Since then, she has established herself as one of the greatest track athletes of all time, and most recently as a respected advocate for female athletes.
On the other hand, Peru's Kimberley Garcia produced a stunning performance in the women's 20km race walk before pulling clear over the final third of the race to claim the first gold medal of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
Garcia smashed the national record of 1:28:38 she set earlier this year as she finished in 1:26:58.
Zdzieblo also set a national record, finishing in 1:27:31, with Qieyang holding on to earn a second bronze to the one she claimed in 2011 as she clocked 1:27:56.
No Peruvian has ever won a medal at these championships, but Garcia, who took silver at the 2019 Pan American Games on home soil in Lima, provided her country with a huge reason for pride after moving decisively away from the Chinese race walker with whom she shared the lead for the bulk of the race, 2012 Olympic champion Qieyang Shijie.
