The DN Gala profile Allyson Felix starts her outdoor season in Doha!

One of our meetings biggest stars in the last years is Allyson Felix, which both 2008 and 2009 got new Stadium records when she competed at DN Galan. In 2008 she even beat the big star Sanya Richards at the 400 meters. At the 6th of August this year she is back at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium and DN Galan, a part of the Samsung Diamond League. She is also one of the official Samsung Diamond League ambassadors and that´s why she some days ago took part in an international media telephone conference.

Her thoughts on the Samsung Diamond League concept-
– I definitely thrive for competition and to be able to race the top people at different events is something that I really look forward to. And this being an off year it’s really the perfect time to do that.
– I’m excited about it. The Golden League was an event that focused on certain events mainly, and the 200 really wasn’t contested as much. And the Diamond League really includes all of them. And gives everyone a shot at it. I’m really looking forward to it and really interested to see how it turns out.

With your 400m debut coming up next week in Doha, how would you assess your condition at this time of the season?
– I’m really excited about running the 400 in Doha. The relays that I’ve ran gave me a good indication that training is going well and that I’m where I need to be. And I’m really looking forward to having a great season opener.

Felix has a tradition opened her season in Doha and that’s where she won a gold medal in the 4x400m relay at the World Indoor Championships.
– It used to be low key meet (laughs) and was a nice place to begin. But now it’s in the Diamond League and it’s going to be much more competitive. I just love Doha, I love the weather, it’s always warm and it’s a great place to compete. And I’ve just always opened my season well there. I’m just going to continue onwards. It’s worked well in the past and I know that the race will be even more exciting especially for the fans, who’ll see a lot of great people in the race.

Source: Bob Ramsak, Samsung Diamond League.

Johan Storåkers