US sprint legend Allyson wins athlete election at Paris to join IOC

Allyson Felix, a seven-time Olympic gold medallist, emerged victorious in an election held on Thursday to serve as the athletes' eight-year IOC representative.

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix won an election Thursday to represent athletes at the IOC for the next eight years.

Felix, the retired United States sprinting great, got the most votes 2,880 of the 6,576 ballots cast by athletes at the Paris Olympics of four athletes elected by their peers, the International Olympic Committee said.

The other winners from a slate of 32 candidates were Germany gymnast Kim Bui, Australia canoeist Jessica Fox who is a double gold medalist in Paris and New Zealand tennis player Marcus Daniell.

One of the four athlete IOC members they will replace, who all were elected at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, is Yelena Isinbayeva, the Russian holder of the world record in women's pole vault.

 

The IOC has a maximum of 115 members, which include members of royal families in Europe and Asia, a head of state the Emir of Qatar former heads of government, sports officials, former Olympic athletes and an Oscar-winning actor, Michelle Yeoh.

Member duties at annual IOC meetings include approving recommended candidates as future Olympic hosts.