Two decades after legendary sprinter Allyson Felix set a U20 record in 2003, a rising star from North Carolina, part of South Carolina’s sprint team, has surpassed that milestone. The 7x Olympic Gold medalist could have never foreseen this, and neither did we. At the 2024 NCAA Championships, a young track and field star from North Carolina took the sports world by storm with a performance that rewrote history. At just 19 years old, she achieved something truly remarkable by surpassing Allyson Felix’s long-standing American record in the 200m event, clocking an astonishing time of 22.08 seconds in the 200m sprint. 

Reflecting on this achievement, Felix herself remarked, “It’s incredible to see the next generation pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in track and field.” Though the sprinter could not take home gold, she definitely took home the pride of beating her idol’s record. The 2024 NCAA female Outdoor Championships in Eugene saw the magic happen with their own eyes. 

North Carolina athlete breaks Allyson Felix’s record

In a recent Twitter post from Gamecock Track & XC, the South Carolina Track and Field organization, they shared the news of Freshman JaMeesia Ford winning the silver medal in the NCAA Outdoor Championship. They captioned it, “Runner-up finish and ANOTHER First Team All-American honor for the talented freshman!” During the race this weekend, Ford came second in the 200m with 22.08s to McKenzie Long or Ole Miss who had a time of 21.84 and Jadyn Mays who had a time of 22.19s. This was the personal best for all three women and made the race even more exciting.  She had previously tied with Allyson Felix’s 2003 US U20 200m record of 22.11s made in Mexico. She has now successfully broken this record. 

The final day at the NCAA Outdoor track and field Championships was an exciting one at Hayward Field in Eugene. Though initially the most anticipated battle was between Long and Mays, Ford emerged like a dark horse and swept the second place victory. Ford was also part of the 4x100m relay with teammates Junior Jayla Jamison and Freshmen Cynteria James and Zaya Akins. As well as the 4x400m relay with Sylvia Chelangat swapping out Cynteria James. During the qualifiers for the finals, South Carolina won the first 4x400m heat because of a 49.72s anchor by JaMeesia Ford. This propelled them from 4th place to 1st place. Though they did not win the finals, Ford’s contribution to South Carolina track and field is immeasurable. 

Could JaMeissa Ford carry legend’s torch in future games?

Though Ford was predicted to win her second NCAA title and beat the 21.81s World Junior record held by Christine Mboma, she unfortunately missed it. However this is just the beginning for Ford. After trying with Allyson Felix for the U20 record, comparisons between the two began to become prominent. In addition, Ford has also set personal bests of 11.50 in the 100m. As well as, 22.08 in the 200m and 51.33 in the 400m. She also became the 2024 NCAA Indoor Champion in the 200m and 4x400m relay. She continues to draw inspiration from Felix. 

JaMeesia had posted an Instagram story a while back. It was a picture of young Ford posing in front of a picture of Allyson Felix in action. She captioned the post, “#TBT🥺” It showcased just how much Ford has looked up to Allyson all her career as her idol. JaMeesia is definitely following in Allyson Felix’s footsteps by smashing records just as Felix had set numerous world records. The next step will possibly be to best Felix’s record of Olympic medals and World Championship titles. With Ford’s young age and exceptional talent, she might just be able to do it.