Meeting a Gold Olympic Medalist: Allyson Felix in Manila

I got super excited when I saw an invite on my email - an event by Nike - a special visit by Allyson Felix, one of the brand's ambassadors, to Manila! It will be a quick visit as she will be visiting three Asian cities in a span of a few days.

I was an avid fan of the coverage of the recent London 2012 Olympics, especially the track and field games, and of course I watched Allyson's 200m dash, winning her the coveted gold Olympic medal.

Here's Allyson's profile:

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ALLYSON FELIX is an American track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for the United States. Her specialty is the 200 meters, winning the 2012 Olympic gold, two Olympic silver medals and three world championship golds. She also competes at the 100 meters and the 400 meters distances, winning three Olympic gold medals as a member of the United States' women's relay team, two at 4x400 meters and one as part of the world record 4x100 meters team. Her three gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics are the most a female track athlete has won since 1988. As a participant in the US Anti-Doping Agency's "Project Believe" program, Felix is regularly tested to ensure that her body is free of performance-enhancing drugs.

Allyson Felix is a four-time recipient of the Jesse Owens Award from USATF signifying the Athlete of the Year. She won the award for the first time in 2005, and then again in 2007, 2010 and 2012. She is only the second woman (after Marion Jones) to win the award three times. Felix also won the IAAF female athlete of the year in 2012.

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Now isn't that impressive? And how often do you get to be face-to-face with an Olympic Gold medalist? I'm so lucky!

I was there at the venue (Planet Sports, BGC) early, and of course took shots so that I could share with you the experience.

Photos of Allyson as Nike endorser

Ally Lim from Runrio passed by the event; she headed to Ayala Triangle - Allyson's next stop after the media conference

The event setup at the 2nd floor of Planet Sports, BGC

Allyson's special photo wall (and her chair for the interviews)

Group shot with Que and Jinoe Gavan of TAKBO.PH!

Courtney Cole-Faso, Country Marketing Manager of Nike Philippines, gave the introductions for the special guest

Courtney interviewing Allyson Felix

VIDEO:

Here's a snippet of Courtney's interview with Allyson:

Allyson Felix, before the media were given time to meet her and take some photos with her

Shaking hands with Allyson gave me super chills! It's as if she transferred to me some of her speed. Haha! I wish.

Allyson Felix and her photo wall

It was such a surreal experience meeting an Olympic Gold medalist! Thanks to Nike and PRC, Inc for the invite and for the opportunity to meet an athlete so down-to-earth and inspirational.