When Allyson Felix took the baton in the second leg of the mixed 4x400m relay Friday evening at the World Athletics Championships, it was an emotional moment for track fans across the world.
This race would be her last international competition after a pro career that spanned almost two decades.
Her resume is irrefutable as her accolades speak volumes.
Five-time Olympian with 11 medals (7 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze).
17 years of World Championship experience and 19 medals (14 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze).
Not only does Felix have the hardware to justify her crown, but she has the adulation of fans and competitors to match.
When the US team was announced on Friday, the loudest ovation was reserved for Felix.
When she took the baton, the cheers erupted once more, all for an athlete whose heart and success are matched by the size of her heartwarming smile.
Some might argue that she’s one of the greatest, but not the greatest.
Carl Lewis has 10 Olympic medals (9 gold, 1 silver). He also has 10 World Championship medals (8 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze)
Usain Bolt is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the only sprinter to win the 100m and 200m Olympic titles at three consecutive Summer Games (2008, 2012 and 2016). Bolt owns the world record in both events (9.58 and 19.19, respectively) and owns 14 World Championship medals (11 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze).
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has 8 Olympic medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze). And after leading the Jamaicans to a sweep in the 100m on Sunday night, she now has 10 gold World Championship medals.
There is no disputing the greatness of those athletes. Their records and awards speak for themselves.
But what Felix has done, and done consistently during her professional career, is unmatched.
She’s so well respected and cherished that Google even animated her.
At the Tokyo Games last year, she surpassed Carl Lewis and became the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete in Olympic history.
That’s not something you accomplish in a few years. That’s a mark of consistency and excellence.
Allyson Felix is more than an individual athlete though, she’s a leader.
That’s evidenced by the number of relay teams she was paired on and, more recently, the roles she took on as a wife, mother, activist and businesswoman.
In 2019, Felix challenged the almighty Nike, claiming that the company punished her and other pregnant athletes.
“Nike sometimes, they feel like you don’t have another option,” said Felix in an interview with The New York Times. “So they can get away with stuff like that because, where are you going to go? And I think that’s how I was always perceived: ‘She’s never going to say anything. She’s never going to speak out.’”
Despite the challenge she faced, she refused to back down.
Felix took the fight all the way to Congress and became an advocate for maternal health, particularly Black maternal health.
She never faltered, eventually parting ways with the brand and signing with Athleta, starting her business career.
But her first goal was to address maternal health.
So in July 0f 2021, roughly a week before the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games, she took action.
That week, Felix, Athleta and the Women’s Sports Foundation established a $200,000 grant to cover childcare costs for professional athletes competing in 2021.
A few weeks later, she took bronze in the 400m and gold in the 4x400m.
Yet she was far from done with the sport.
That same year, Felix and her brother Wes co-founded community-focused lifestyle brand, Saysh.
A year later, Felix and her team secured an $8 million investment for the brand.
Labeled as “a lifestyle sneaker designed for and by women”, Felix ensures that Saysh addresses the needs of women.
From the design and colors to the maternity returns policy, Saysh continues Felix’s mission of understanding, empowering and helping women.
A month after cementing the future of Saysh, Felix took one last lap around the track after winning bronze in the mixed 4x400m.
The finish didn’t matter as much as the respect and adulation she received from fans and competitors as she walked around the track in Oregon with the American flag draped around her shoulders.
“The last couple years I’ve stepped outside of just the clock and the medals, I never would have imagined that would have been a place that I’d come to, but I have,” Felix said. “I think it’s been about being a representation for women, mothers — I really felt that, all over tonight.”
When an athlete finishes their career, they can either go out on top or finish with disappointment and/or regret.
Felix felt the former, for it wasn’t about the gold.
It was about an unparalleled career, her accomplishments and a moment of happiness.
“There was a moment where I was going for the break, and I heard the cheers,” Felix said. “And it was really cool. It was special. Obviously you’re competing, but I felt the love and I felt joy running tonight.”
We felt it too Allyson.
