Allyson Felix has lived her life following people. First it was her older brother, Wes. "I've always looked up to Wes," she says, "and I wanted to follow in his footsteps." Born and raised in central Los Angeles, she followed Wes into the sport of basketball, where her thin frame earned her the nickname "Chicken Legs."

But something changed when she followed him into track and field. When the high-school coach first timed her on the track, he thought he'd measured the distance incorrectly. When Allyson's time was consistently faster than the other girls, both she and the coach began to realize her unknown talent.

She soon began making her own footsteps, winning state championships in both the 100 and 200 meters. A few months after her high-school graduation, she ran the 200 in 22.11 seconds in the Banamex Grand Prix in Mexico City, the fastest in history for a highschool girl, although the record couldn't be ratified because there had been no drug testing at the event.

Allyson turned pro shortly after that, and at 18, she became the youngest member on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track and Field team. She took the silver in the 200 meters at the 2004 Olympics, and the girl they used to call "Chicken Legs" has now leg-pressed 700 pounds.

Suddenly, Allyson was no longer following her older brother, but she was following the fastest runners in the world.

	Allyson (above, at center) won gold at the world championships in 2005.

"It is exciting to be compared to the great American sprinters," she says. "I've looked up to them, studied their races, and followed their footsteps. It's a big responsibility, but it's a great thing to take it on."

Allyson learned early on that unless she's following Christ, her footsteps won't matter. " I can't imagine life without knowing Jesus," she says. Her father is an ordained minister and a professor at The Master's College Seminary, and the family attends church together every Sunday.

"My speed is a gift from God," says Allyson. "My main purpose for running is that maybe someone can see something different in me, or maybe I can say something that will reach out to someone."

Her agent, eight-time world-record holder Renaldo Nehemiah, agrees. "Allyson is humble, exemplifies tremendous character and sportsmanship," he says. "And most importantly, her sport doesn't define who she is as a person. Whether she wins or loses, she's at peace with God's will."

Now, on the eve of the Beijing Olympics, the 21-year-old is poised to be following once again. But this time she's chasing down world records as she follows in the footsteps of greatness.