Felix decides on London goal

Eugene - Sprinter Allyson Felix will focus on the 100m and 200m at the US Olympic trials and forgo an attempt at a 200m-400m double in London, her coach has confirmed.

The decision gives Felix her best chance of winning Olympic gold in the 200m after two consecutive silver medals and for running the 4x100m and 4x400m relays at the Games, Bob Kersee said in a telephone call from Los Angeles on Monday.

"It will be easier for her, as well as helping the team out, if she runs the 1 and the 2," Kersee said of the upcoming trials, which begin on Thursday and continue through to July 1.

"If something happens in the 100m, she still has enough time to recover and make the team in the 200m," the coach said of the two events, whose finals are a week apart.

Felix attempted to win both the 200m and 400m at last year's world championships in South Korea, but finished third in the 200m after taking second in the 400m. She had won three consecutive world 200m titles before the loss.

"I just didn't feel like myself (in the 200m)," Felix said in April when asked about her world championships. "I didn't have normal burst in the home stretch."

She asked Kersee to put more emphasis on speed work this season and they developed a competition schedule that so far has included only 100s and 200s.

She looked exceptionally sharp early in the season, running a 100m personal best in Doha.

But a fourth place finish in her latest 100m in New York on June 9 left some wondering if she would attempt more than just the 200m at the trials in Eugene, Oregon.

"We weren't quite prepared to run the 100m in New York, but we ran it anyway," Kersee said. "But we have had some good training since coming back."

World champion Carmelite Jester leads a strong group of 100m runners at the trials and Sana Richards-Ross, the year's fastest at both 200m and 400m, is expected to challenge Felix in the 200m.

Only the top three finishers in each event make the American team. There are no exceptions.