As of August 7, track & field athlete Allyson Felix is the most decorated person in the Olympic sport.
She is also the most decorated woman in track. Felix won her 11th medal after participating in the 4x400m relay along with Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu. Felix was the second leg.
“This is a special group of women who will continue to shape the world around them, she wrote on Instagram. “This moment. These women. It’s more than what I could have dreamt of!!!”
On August 6, Felix, 35, also won bronze in the 400m race, coming in at 49.46 seconds. This was her first time at the Olympics since becoming a mother in 2018 and her fifth time participating since 2004.
“Hopefully, a lot of mothers will see themselves in me,” Felix said to reporters last week. “I just want to be that inspiration.”
Felix has been open about the struggles she endured during birth. She had to undergo an emergency C-section at 32 weeks and her daughter, Camryn, spent time in NICU.
Felix is now behind a new footwear brand, SAYSH, which promotes gender equality and produced the shoes she wore during her latest legendary run. It was created after she publicly severed ties with her former sponsor.
Of the break up and announcement of her new venture, she wrote, “My employer did not support my maternity and my colleague’s maternity in a way that I could be proud of. I was told to know my place. That runners should just run that it’s just business.”
Read ESSENCE’s interview with Felix about SAYSH here.
She also decided to work to create a great environment for mothers participating in the Olympics. Partnering with Athleta, Felix is offering grants to mothers who have to travel for sports competitions. The program set aside $200,000 to assist with “comprehensive support.”
Felix was wearing her own shoe when she completed her history-making leg in the relay.
Photo credit: David Ramos/Getty Images