We've speculated all season long but now the decision has finally come - Allyson Felix will contest the 100 and 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials. 

Felix, the three-time world champion over 200 meters, has continually expressed her passion for the 200 meters, insisting that winning Olympic gold in the event is her top career goal having finished second in each of the past two Olympics. Her decision to run the 100 and 200 meter dashes instead of opting for the 200-400 double that she contested at the Daegu World Championships last summer largely plays into that goal.

"This year, deciding what events to do was all about the 200," Felix said in a Thursday press conference. "I've said since the beginning that's what's most important to me."

The Los Angeles, Calif. native faces the dilemma largely because the 200 meters falls after both the 100 and 400 meter races on the Olympic Trials and Olympic schedules. 

As a leading promotional figure for her sponsors Nike and Gatorade, Felix is all but forced to run two events to increase exposure for her sponsors instead of being able to focus her sights singularly on the 200 meters.

At the end of the day, Felix made a good choice by choosing the 100-200 double.

Some argue Felix has a much greater chance of winning her first individual Olympic gold in the 400 meters given the relatively weaker field she would face in the event. Although defending world champion Amantle Montsho has not performed to her 2011 levels, Sanya Richards-Ross looks to be back to her form from 2009 when she dominated the Golden League and won her first world title. Those who witnessed that season know that when Richards-Ross is on her game, she is hard to beat.

Partaking in the 100 meters puts a far lighter load on Felix's legs versus the longer, more grueling heats she would face in the quarter-mile. It was clear after the Daegu World Championships last year that the multitude of preliminary races took a toll on her legs for the 200 meters. 

"Daegu helped me see for myself how it felt doing the 400 first and then sprinting," Felix said. "I feel like doing this [100-200] double will set me up better."

The training differences between the short and long sprints is also immense. Success in the 200 and 400 meter dashes require differing energy systems, explaining why there are so few who do well in both those races compared to the short sprint double. Only two women - American Valerie Brisco-Hooks in 1984 and Marie-Jose Perec of France in 1996 - have ever won 200 and 400 meter gold at the same Games. Even Michael Johnson, the only man to have completed the 200-400 Olympic double, advised Felix to stick with the 200 meters.

It is also worth noting that Felix is by no means a lock to make the team in the 100 meters, largely due to her inconsistent starts. This season, Felix showed great promise upsetting archnemesis Veronica Campbell-Brown and a strong field to set a new personal best of 10.92 seconds in Doha but then struggled with her start in New York to finish fourth in 11.07 seconds. Even if she makes the 100 meter team, a medal - especially a gold medal - is highly unlikely.

So, as in the previous two Olympic Games, it'll be 200 meter gold or bust or Felix. But given her immense love for the event, that's just the way Felix wants to set things up.

Allyson Felix discusses the 100/200 double at Thursday's USATF press conference

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