On July 15th, the most decorated woman in Olympic track history Allyson Felix, age 36, ran her last World Championship race before retiring from the sport.
Felix ran her last competitive race at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, holding a bronze medal with a bright smile across her face. With that, she has finished her career with 11 Olympic medals, and now 19 World Championship medals. Of these 30 medals, 20 of them are gold. Felix has the most medals in female track-and-field history, which solidifies her legendary title.
Felix first made her debut in 2003, age 17, where she placed second in the 200m race and qualified for her first World Championships.
At age 18, Felix won her first Olympic silver medal in the 200m race in Athens, Greece. She was just a few steps behind Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell, and set a junior world record of 22.18 seconds.
About a year later, she became the youngest World Champion in track-and-field history by winning the 200m race in Helsinki, Finland.
Now, almost two decades later, in the final year of her career, Allyson Felix was still able to qualify in many major events in one of the most competitive settings in the world.
In the 2022 World Championships on Friday, July 15th, Felix ran the second leg in the mixed 4x400m relay race and held an impressive lead in the first 15 seconds. Despite the head start, team U.S.A finished in third.
Some may say that earning bronze might come as a disappointment for the most decorated female runner. However, Felix only felt joy and relief that Friday night.
“It was a night I will cherish. I’ve had such good memories,” she said in an article from BBC News.
This race was not meant to be a competition to Felix, but a farewell to her fans and to her strong passion. She was able to say a proper goodbye while running one last time in front of a home crowd.
“I know it is time and these guys will carry it on into the future. I am at peace stepping into this next stage and have tremendous gratitude for this sport,” Felix said to BBC News.
Link to articles:
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a40629492/allyson-felix-final-race/
https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/62169873
https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2022/07/16/allyson-felix-world-track-and-field-championships/
https://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/story/_/id/34250250/allyson-felix-caps-final-appearance-track-world-championships-bronze-medal-4x400m-mixed-relay
Felix ran her last competitive race at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, holding a bronze medal with a bright smile across her face. With that, she has finished her career with 11 Olympic medals, and now 19 World Championship medals. Of these 30 medals, 20 of them are gold. Felix has the most medals in female track-and-field history, which solidifies her legendary title.
Felix first made her debut in 2003, age 17, where she placed second in the 200m race and qualified for her first World Championships.
At age 18, Felix won her first Olympic silver medal in the 200m race in Athens, Greece. She was just a few steps behind Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell, and set a junior world record of 22.18 seconds.
About a year later, she became the youngest World Champion in track-and-field history by winning the 200m race in Helsinki, Finland.
Now, almost two decades later, in the final year of her career, Allyson Felix was still able to qualify in many major events in one of the most competitive settings in the world.
In the 2022 World Championships on Friday, July 15th, Felix ran the second leg in the mixed 4x400m relay race and held an impressive lead in the first 15 seconds. Despite the head start, team U.S.A finished in third.
Some may say that earning bronze might come as a disappointment for the most decorated female runner. However, Felix only felt joy and relief that Friday night.
“It was a night I will cherish. I’ve had such good memories,” she said in an article from BBC News.
This race was not meant to be a competition to Felix, but a farewell to her fans and to her strong passion. She was able to say a proper goodbye while running one last time in front of a home crowd.
“I know it is time and these guys will carry it on into the future. I am at peace stepping into this next stage and have tremendous gratitude for this sport,” Felix said to BBC News.
Link to articles:
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a40629492/allyson-felix-final-race/
https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/62169873
https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2022/07/16/allyson-felix-world-track-and-field-championships/
https://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/story/_/id/34250250/allyson-felix-caps-final-appearance-track-world-championships-bronze-medal-4x400m-mixed-relay
