Passing the torch

Many great stories unrolled in the closing days of the 2004 Olympics—but there was one good story. After doping scandals, an overdose of fame, and unexpected losses defrocked the reigning legends of U.S. track and field, a new generation of champions arose overnight in Athens. | John Dawson

"So what is your name, anyway?" coach Jonathan Patton remembers asking a 14-year-old Allyson Felix. He had heard of Allyson's older brother, Wes, who sprinted for a competing high school, but had no idea of the potential standing in front of him. "Oh, so you're Wes Felix's sister?" he remembers saying, "‘Is he going to come here?' My introduction to her pretty much was, ‘get your brother over here.'"

Mr. Patton assumed that Miss Felix, like many other girls at tiny Los Angeles Baptist High School, came out for track only to stay fit. But her first official run on his track had the coach checking his watch and recalculating distances. "Run it again," he said. Mr. Patton had learned a secret the world discovered at this summer's Olympic Games: Allyson Felix is very fast.