On Friday 6th August, 35 year old Allyson Felix won a record 10th Olympic Medal after finishing third in the 400 metres, becoming the most decorated woman in track and field history as she surpassed Merlene Ottey in the all-time Olympic medal table in her final individual Olympic race.
"I’ve just tried to be more vulnerable and be more transparent this time around. Being an older athlete I think that’s something we don’t see as much. So I have been sharing some of my own struggles. I think a lot of times I tied my work to what happens at these championships and I didn’t want to do that this time around." Said the sprinter who just turned advocate and mother. Widely expected to contend in Today's 4x400m relay final, Felix would break Carl Lewis' American medal record if she reaches the podium yet again at her fifth and final Games, a prospect Lewis appeared to welcome.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas claimed the top of the podium, winning the 400m in 48.36 seconds to retain her Olympic title, but Felix's achievement perhaps stole the show as she finished in 49.46, her fastest time in the event since 2015. With six Olympic gold medals and 13 world titles to her name, Felix's resilience extends far beyond the track: she gave birth to her daughter, Camryn, via an emergency C-section in 2018 after medical complications required the baby to be born at 32 weeks.
She said the "biggest thing" for her this year was not winning more medals but making the comeback at all.
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