Allyson Felix exclusive: Her passionate mission to improve the world for women
Nearly a year after retiring from athletics, the most decorated sprinter in U.S. history continues to forge a legacy of success off the track. In an interview with Olympics.com, the American sprint legend talks about her stellar track career, how she is enjoying her life post-retirement and what she misses most about competing.
Athletics
Allyson Felix is no longer running for medals, but her reputation as a champion continues to follow her even in retirement.
The most decorated sprinter in U.S. history may have raced her last major race nearly a year ago when she took bronze as part of the 4x 400m mixed relay team at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, but her legacy still remains strong on the track.
The next World Championships are just nine weeks away and, for the first time in two decades, the runner who was the reference point in the women’s 200m, 400m and relay races won’t be on any of the entry lists.
But is there a chance of watching her race one more time?
“What could get me back on the track? Probably supporting my daughter. That's as close as it would ever get,” she said in an exclusive interview in Lausanne with Olympics.com.
The 11-time Olympic gold medallist is comfortably settled in the next chapter of her career. And while the pressure that comes with training for competitions is gone, Felix still has her hands full.
She is now a mum, wife, and business manager. She also sits on the IOC’s Athletes' Commission and on the board of several non-profit organisations focused on women and children. But speaking to her, it's obvious which role she cherishes most.
“I'm most passionate about just being present as a mother,” she said of her post-athletics life with four-year-old daughter Camryn.
“Whether it's just small events, just staying home and cooking together and playing in the backyard, I just cherish the moments.”
Allyson Felix on Tokyo 2020 Olympics: It was a full-circle moment
When Felix called time on her career, she did so with few regrets.
Since 2003, the ‘little girl they called chicken legs’ because she was deemed too slender had defied the odds to become a permanent feature on the American Track & Field team.
It was a journey that began as a senior in Paris in 2003 and saw her medal in eight out of her 10 world championships appearances, additionally clinching seven gold medals from five Olympic Games.
The gold medals she won in her favourite race - the 200m – at Helsinki 2005, where she became the youngest world champion ever in the event, and at the London 2012 Olympics, rank high on her list of special races. But there’s a bronze medal that’s even more precious to her.
“I’m grateful for so many incredible moments. I have such great memories and lessons from competing in the sport,” she said, looking back on her legendary career.
“But I really, love my final race in Tokyo. It was special for me. It was much bigger than just running. It was all about, overcoming adversity and being a mother. I got to run in shoes that my company created. And I think it was a full-circle moment. And so that one always sticks out as being very significant.”
At Tokyo 2020, Felix, who mainly competed in the 100m, 200m and 400m (the last of which she was influenced to race by her long-term coach Bobby Kersee), had returned to the track after battling life-threatening preeclampsia.
The most decorated American female track-and-field Olympian never imagined she would be back racing at the top level after the traumatic experience she went through giving birth to her daughter Camryn prematurely at 32 weeks.
Still, she stood on the podium in Tokyo after claiming bronze in the 400m and ended her Olympic career with gold in the women’s 4x400m final alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Athing Mu and Dalilah Muhammad.
Her final act - the bronze and gold relay medals last year in Eugene that brought her total tally of world medals to 20 – was beyond her imagination.
Felix’s last public race was a charity run which she completed hand-in-hand with her daughter on the streets of her hometown in Los Angeles. It was a preview of her new life.
And even though she has hung up her spikes, she’s still actively training and sharing workouts on her social media pages.
“I think for the past 20 years, I've run to compete, and I'm really enjoying running. I'm still doing some training, and I'm enjoying doing that without the expectation or the pressure of having to perform. And I love to run, love the sport. And so that's been a really refreshing experience,” she explained.
And what learnings did she take away from her glittering track career since breaking onto the scene with double youth gold at the Worlds in 2001?
“I learned a lot about the dedication and sacrifice that it takes. I learned about myself and how to just continue to work hard even when things aren't going right."
“In my failures, I learned a lot. And it really meant a lot when things did come together. I appreciated it because I had been through the difficult times as well.” - Allyson Felix to Olympics.com
“I would encourage, athletes in the sport who are starting out just really to embrace disappointment and failure. For me, that was such a challenge. You would have a bad race and just get stuck on it. But being able to see it as a learning moment, that it's only going to make you better.”
Allyson Felix reacts after a 400m race at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Allyson Felix’s life post-retirement
Although clearly happy with her new life, the 37-year-old Felix admits to missing the excitement of major championships.
“I loved the thrill of competition, getting on the line and knowing who was going to be the best in that moment. And so that's probably what I miss most.
“So just the team camaraderie and being able to travel on the circuit and those things.”
But she’s not going back to track unless her daughter, who for now relishes her dance recitals and football sessions, opts to take after her parents.
“I really hope that my daughter does something other than track and field,” said Felix, whose husband Kenneth Ferguson was also a sprinter specialising in 400m, 110m and 400m hurdles.
The record-setting American sprinter is enjoying spending more time with her family as she continues to juggle her other roles.
“Post-retirement, I finally had the opportunity to go skiing, and I've been waiting forever to do that. So that's been a lot of fun and just doing things at home, taking my daughter to and from school and to soccer practice and dance and all of those fun family things as well.
“I’d probably best describe myself [now] as a mom. A lot on my plate... a businesswoman as well. I'm really enjoying growing my company and just being present.
“Being an athlete for so long, everything has been non-stop, and it's been really challenging always being on the road. And so now [I like] to be home more and able to just do more the things that I'm passionate about.”
Her old priorities have changed and given rise to new passions.
Allyson Felix on finding her voice
Felix has certainly found her voice in motherhood.
The first time she really came into the public eye for speaking up was when she critisised one of her sponsors for pay reduction durding and after childbirth.
Later, she joined forces with the Women's Sports Foundation and Athleta to advocate for childcare grants for female athletes.
“Giving support to women when they decide to have children is huge. There are a lot of ways that we can continue to step up. I really want young women in the sport to know that they have a decision when they can start a family,” the seven-time Olympic champion continued.
“For me, I really felt like I had to put it off, and I don't want anyone else to feel that way. The only way to combat that is to be able to support in every capacity, and so focus on childcare and just that the women feel supported as an athlete.”
It’s not the only subject Felix, who last year founded her own footwear company, remains vocal about.
After her own distressing experience, she continues to push for more awareness about the increased risks black women face during pregnancy.
In May 2023, her former teammate Tori Bowie, who was eight months pregnant, died of complications related to childbirth.
“I would love to have another child. That’s something that I know for sure. But will I be here to raise that child?” she posed in an opinion piece for Time.
“And that’s a terrifying thing. This is America, in 2023, and black women are dying while giving birth. It’s absurd. I’m hopeful that Tori… won’t die in vain.”
Even in retirement, Allyson Felix continues to be a trailblazer and an important ally for many.