Phyllis Chanez Francis (born May 4, 1992) is an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete. She won the gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in the 400 metres and 4 × 400 metres relay events.

Prep

Francis was a student at

Catherine McAuley High School (Brooklyn) Catherine McAuley High School was a small, all-girls', private, Catholic high school in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the Brooklyn Sisters of Mercy in 1942, it is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. ...

and the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

, class of 2014.

NCAA

She is the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and Collegiate indoor 400-meter record holder, breaking Olympian

Francena McCorory Francena Lynette McCorory (born October 20, 1988) is a retired American track and field athlete, known primarily for running the 400 meters. She was the 2011 World bronze medalist in the 400 meters and was a member of the gold medal-winning 201 ...

's 2010 record while winning the 2014 NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship. She is the first Woman to win a 400-meter National NCAA Championship for the University of Oregon, in its history.

Professional

2016 Olympics

Francis placed second in

400 m The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is o ...

running a personal best time 49.94 behind Team USA teammates

Allyson Felix Allyson Michelle Felix (born November 18, 1985) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 me ...

, ahead of Natasha Hastings at 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) and represented United States at

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from 12 to 21 August 2016, at the Olympic Stadium. The sport of athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics was made into three distinct sets of events: track and ...

where she placed 5th in the women's 400 m final and won a gold medal in 4 × 400 meters.

2017 World Championships

In 2017, Francis became the 400 m world champion by beating Allyson Felix – the defending world champion, and

Shaunae Miller-Uibo Shaunae Miller-Uibo (born 15 April 1994) is a Bahamian track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. She is a two-time Olympic champion after winning the women's 400 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 Tok ...

– the Olympic champion at the 2017 World Championships in London, Great Britain. Her winning time of 49.92 seconds was a new personal best for Francis. Four days later, she won her second

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

by anchoring the US women's

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, th ...

team to victory.

International competitions

¹: Competed only in the heat.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Phyllis Living people 1992 births Oregon Ducks women's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from New York City American female sprinters African-American track and field athletes American female track and field athletes World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Olympic female sprinters 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women