In her third Olympic games, American Allyson Felix finally won gold in the women's 200-meter race at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
"I mean, finally," said Felix. "It's been a long time coming. I am so overjoyed."
Since the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, Felix has won silver in the 200-meter competition. After winning two medals, she set out again for gold, and in impressive time.
"I was in tears after the race in Beijing," Felix said, according to USA Today. "It's just the opposite tonight. For it all to come together, it's just an extremely special moment. It's relief, joy, a flood of emotions."
Felix won the 200-meter in 21.88 seconds, better than her last two 200-meter Olympic races. However, she ran faster at the on June 30, 2012 in Eugene, Oregon, going 21.69 seconds, the fourth fastest world record.
Her victory landed Jamaican Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce a silver medal with 22.09 seconds. Fellow American Carmelita Jeter won the bronze in 22.14 seconds.
Felix was motivated more for the gold after the disappointing finishes, even though she won silver in both occasions.
"There have been some ups and downs. I definitely had good moments, but the moments that motivated me most were losing on the biggest stage," said Felix. "Just never forgetting that feeling."
Her victory was extra sweet she the defending gold medalist in the 200-meter, Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, finished the race in fourth place. Campbell-Brown won gold in both Olympic games where Felix earned Silver.
"I'm happy for [Felix]," Campbell-Brown said. "Allyson and I have been racing for a long time, and I know how bad she wanted it."
"I used to say I would say give all those world championship medals for a gold medal at the Olympics, but now I'm able to say that I embrace that journey," said Felix. "I embrace the defeats because that's what pushed me all those years. It makes tonight very, very sweet."
The win for Felix gives the US its first women's 200-meter victory since the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics when Gwen Torrence won in 21.81 seconds. The world record holder goes to another American, Florence Griffith-Joyner with 21.34 seconds at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.