Allyson Felix is young (22), bright (she will get her degree in elementary education from Southern California on May 16), and talented (she is the best U.S. bet for Olympic gold at 200 meters in Beijing this summer).

She is also committed to proving to the skeptics and the nonbelievers that someone can be successful in track and field without using performance-enhancing drugs.

Felix, who will compete today in the USA vs. the World races at the Penn Relays, is a participant in Project Believe, a program developed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to improve the accuracy of doping tests and provide baseline body chemistry figures for track athletes.

Felix said yesterday she jumped at the chance to take part in the program when it was presented to her by USADA chief executive officer Travis Tygart.

"I felt I've always been willing to submit to tests," she said. "We want to do as much as we can to take a stand against doping, so I think this program was the perfect thing, especially given the climate of the sport right now."