Phyllis Francis

Phyllis Chanez Francis (born May 4, 1992) is an American track and field athlete.^[2] She won the gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in the 400 metres and 4 × 400 metres relay events.

Phyllis Francis

Francis at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(1992-05-04) May 4, 1992 (age 32) Queens, New York
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1]
Weight	157 lb (71 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event	Sprinting
College team	University of Oregon
Club	Nike Running
Turned pro	2014
Coached by	Vince Anderson
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	400 m: 49.61 200 m: 22.50 800 m: 2:04.83
Medal record Women's track and field Representing  United States Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4 × 400 m relay World Championships 2017 London 400 m 2017 London 4 × 400 m relay 2019 Doha 4 × 400 m relay 2015 Beijing 4 × 400 m relay World Relay Championships 2015 Nassau 4 × 400 m relay 2017 Nassau 4 × 400 m relay Pan American Junior Championships 2011 Miramar 4 × 400 m relay 2011 Miramar 400 m NACAC Championships in Athletics 2018 Toronto 200 m

Prep

Francis was a student at Catherine McAuley High School (Brooklyn)^[3] and the University of Oregon, class of 2014.

NCAA

She is the American and Collegiate indoor 400-meter record holder, breaking Olympian Francena McCorory's 2010 record while winning the 2014 NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship.^[4] She is the first woman to win a 400-meter National NCAA Championship for the University of Oregon in its history.^[5][6]

Professional

2016 Olympics

Francis placed second in 400 m running a personal best time 49.94 behind Team USA teammates Allyson Felix, ahead of Natasha Hastings at 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) and represented United States at Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics where she placed 5th in the women's 400 m final and won a gold medal in 4 × 400 meters.^[7]

2017 World Championships

In 2017, Francis became the 400 m world champion by beating Allyson Felix – the defending world champion, and Shaunae Miller-Uibo – 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 by anchoring the US women's 4 × 400 metres relay team to victory.

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  United States
2011	Pan American Junior Championships	Miramar, Florida	3rd	400 m	53.81[8]
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:34.71[9]
2015	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:19.39
	World Championships	Beijing, China	7th	400 m	50.51
			2nd1	4 × 400 m relay	3:23.051
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	5th	400 m	50.41
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:19.06
2017	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:24.36
	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	1st	400 m	49.92
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:19.02
2018	NACAC Championships	Toronto, Canada	3rd	200 m	22.91
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	5th	400 m	49.61 PB
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:18.92

¹: Competed only in the heat.