The first time Menlo School’s Maddy Price raced against Allyson Felix was at the 2019 track and field World Championships in Qatar.
On Saturday, Price, 24, was lined up against the 11-time Olympic medalist in the second leg of the 4X400-meters relay at the Tokyo Games.
This time, Price didn’t have time to worry about a celebrity in her race as she focused on leading Canada to its first medal in the event since 1984.
By the time Price got the baton from teammate Alicia Brown, Felix and the United States were taking control. Felix jetted to the lead with a time of 49.38 seconds in her final appearance on the Olympic stage.
Price’s Olympic debut has been a success. She recorded Canada’s fastest leg with a time of 49.95 to put her country in medal contention. The Canadians, though, could not hold on to third place.
They placed fourth just like at the Rio Games when Price just missed making the Olympic team. This time Canada finished 0.60 of a second behind bronze medalist Jamaica when Jamaican Candace McLeod caught anchor Sage Watson on the straightaway.
The United States won 3 minutes 16.85 seconds, four seconds faster than runner-up Poland.
“This relay team for years, since Rio, has been such a competitor on this international stage,” Price told reporters. “At the end of the day, our goal was to run as fast as we could run. The rest is out of our control. Of course, it hurts. We wanted to bring a medal home for Canada and for ourselves.”
Teammate Kyra Constantine joined Price as the two Canadians who broke the 50-second barrier.
“I think we all pushed a little bit harder today because we all really wanted the medal,” Constantine told reporters.
Price, who has dual citizenship, recalled earlier this summer what it was like racing against Felix at the World Championships.
She said just before the race she had to take a moment and “be a fangirl because I have a photo of her in my room when I was 15.”
Price, A Duke All-American, said she watched Felix run in the Olympics well before she knew she had the chance.
“She’s been an idol of mine since I was little, but now racing against her, I was like freaking out,” Price said. “But then I told myself, OK, have your moment to be excited and then you have ready your inner, Maddy self.”
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