Allyson Felix's quest for the 200-400 double in the Rio Olympics came up a hundredth of a second short.
Felix, who won the 400 last week, finished fourth in the 200 on Sunday in the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore. She entered the trials with a painful right ankle, which limited her speed work ... and it might have cost her.
Meanwhile, Tori Bowie, who cruised to victory in the 200, will get a crack at the double after finishing third in the 100 a week ago.
Bowie, who led throughout the final straight, finished in 22.25 seconds; Oregon's Deajah Stevens (22.30) closed fast in the final 50; and former Oregon Duck Jenna Prandini (22.53), the U.S. 200 champ last year, dived across the finish line to hold off Felix (22.54), who just ran out of room.
“I don’t know what happened,” Prandini said. “But it got the job done.”
Felix, who has the fastest time in the world this year in the 400, will be competing in her fourth Olympic Games, and she will be a medal contender for sure. And she will be in the relay pool for both the 4x100 and the 4x400. But the 200 — the event in which she has tallied one Olympic gold (and two silvers) and three world championship golds — is her favorite.
“Honestly disappointed, you know?” she said. “The whole year, that has been what I was working for. When I look back and see everything that happened, I still think it’s quite amazing I was able to make the team.”
The injury happened when she landed awkwardly on an exercise ball while doing core work and rolled her right ankle.
The injury was so severe she avoided running around the track in the correct, counterclockwise direction until just before trials, for fear she’d put too much outside pressure on her injured ankle.
“I could only do what I could with the ankle,” she said.
Felix had hoped to become the third American to complete the 200-400 double, following Valerie Brisco-Hooks (1984) and Michael Johnson (1996). Marie-Jose Perec of France also completed the double in 1996. U.S. teammate LaShawn Merritt has qualified for the 200 and 400 on the men's side and is planning to contest both events.
Felix has six Olympic medals overall (four gold, two silver), tying Jackie Joyner-Kersee for the most by an American woman.
“I’m pretty sure everyone expected to see her on the (200) team,” Bowie said. “I’m pretty sure it won’t be the same without her.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
