This week, BlackVoices is shining the spotlight on 12 people who are primed to make big waves in 2012.
When it comes to the Olympic summer games, Track and Field is by far the most watched and arguably the most exciting sport. So, as we gear up for the 2012 Olympics in London all eyes will be on the United States Track And Field team's top female sprinters--Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix.
The California natives are two of the most decorated runners in USTAF history and have positioned themselves to bring home plenty of gold at the Olympic games.
Currently the top American sprinter, Jeter snagged her second USA Outdoors 100-meter title and silver medal in the 200-meters. She is also the reigning 100 meter world champion after running 10.67 seconds (the third fastest time in history no less) at the 2011 IAAF Track And Field World Championships this summer.
The 32-year-old is an age where most sprinters start to slow down--literally and figuratively. However, Jeter has surprisingly become faster and stronger with age. And if she wins the Olympic gold medal in the 100-meters she will become the oldest woman to do so.
While Jeter is the favorite for the 100-meters, Felix has her sights set on the women's 200-meter title.
This shouldn't be a problem since Felix is a two-time Olympic silver medalist, three-time World Championship gold medalist for that distance and has more gold medals (six) than any other woman in the history of the World Championships. In addition, she was only 18 years old when she won her first Olympic medal in the 200m sprint. It was silver. This year she plans on securing the gold.
But in track and field your teammate and friend can also be your competition. Both Jeter and Felix will compete in the 200-meter sprint, which is the perfect setup for a record-breaking race. The speedy ladies will also run together, but this time as a team, for the 4x400 meter relay---which they earned the gold medal in at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
We're looking forward to watching Jeter, Felix and the rest of the USTAF team dominate and bring home the gold.
