She’s hanging up her running shoes!
According to the Bleacher Report, after an illustrious two-decade career, Allyson Felix has earned her final medal for Team USA.
Felix has been a force to be reckoned with since she stepped on a track, widely revered as the most decorated woman track-and-field athlete of all time. The Los Angeles native holds the record for most World Championship and Olympic medals, racking up a total of 20 gold medals alone. A force to be reckoned with, Felix has never backed down from a challenge, breaking Usain Bolt’s record for most gold Worlds medals just 10 months after giving birth. But where the legend shined most was during competitions like the women’s 4x400-meter relay, winning gold medals in all four of her runs.
Last April, Felix took to social media to announce that 2022 would be her last competitive season. By July she had launched her new athletic footwear brand for women, Saysh. The move was a subtle jab at her former partner Nike, execs at the company encouraging Felix to “know her place,” after she advocated for maternal protections and pay equity in her contract.
“I have given everything I have to running and for the first time I’m not sure if I have anything left to give. I want to say goodbye and thank you to the sport and people who have helped shape me the only way I know how - with one last run. This season isn’t about the time on the clock, it’s simply about joy,” Felix wrote.
.@allysonfelix soaks it all in on the track at her final #WorldAthleticsChamps after claiming her 19th world championship medal. @OnHerTurf
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 16, 2022
(📽️ @NBCOlympics) @WCHoregon22 pic.twitter.com/KFfX6L8TfN
Last week, Felix took her last bow around the track for Team USA. She took home a bronze medal in the 4x200 mixed relay at the World Track and Field World Championships, Felix competing alongside her teammates Elija Godwin, Vernon Norwood and Kennedy Simon.
This moment. ❤️@OnHerTurf | #WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/z0lUqZe650
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) July 16, 2022
After claiming her 19th world championship medal, Felix took a moment to just take it all in on the track.
Thank you for so many years of greatness, Allyson! Onward and upward!
Photo Courtesy of Ezra Shaw/Getty Images