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"I try my best to live in a way that's Christlike."
That's what championship sprinter Allyson Felix tells the July/August edition of FCA magazine, a publication of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Felix, 30, is currently preparing for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Jeneiro, which will be held August 5-21. Felix has four gold medals and two silvers from three previous Olympic Games, and has won several other USA Track & Field (USATF) and international competitions. She is known for the 200 and 400 meter sprints, but has also won gold medals in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
"The Lord has constantly revealed himself to me throughout my career," Felix says in an FCA video. "Ever since the beginning...I had a plan for my life and it definitely wasn't this, and so I think right away, it's like, OK, this is a different path than I was going to go down. If this is what the Lord's will is, then let's go with it." She also says, "I try to live my life for Christ."
However, Felix has recently been nursing a sore ankle, and on July 10 it prevented her from qualifying for the 200 meter race in Rio. Instead, Felix will compete in the 400 meters and the 4X100 and 4x400 meter relays. "I could only do what I could with the ankle and unfortunately that what suffered," Felix told the Los Angeles Times.
In Rio Felix can surpass Jackie Joyner-Kersee as the most decorated U.S. track and field female Olympian of all time - both Felix and Joyner-Kersee are currently tied at six Olympic medals each.
Felix grew up in Los Angeles, the daughter of a pastor father and mother who was an elementary school teacher. Felix's father Paul is currently the pastor of the Fairview Heights Baptist Church in Inglewood, CA.
Joshua Cooley reports in the FCA magazine:
“I always looked up to my mom and dad,” says Allyson, who trusted in Christ at a young age. “They are such strong examples of faith. They have such strong belief systems. But they also lived it day in and day out. It was so encouraging to me.
“And my older brother, Wes—I was always chasing after him and wanting to be like him. So we’ve always had a very close-knit family.”
“I never expected to be a professional athlete,” she says. “I had to really trust Him and His plan for my life. We always have our own idea of how our life is going to go, but we really have to follow the Lord’s will. I had to trust Him in regards to injuries and other life situations.”