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TOKYO – Allyson Felix stepped onto the Olympic podium on Saturday night and closed her eyes.
She said she wanted to take it all one last time.
Moments after winning the 4×400-meter relay in the final race of her Olympic career to become America’s most decorated track and field athlete in Games history with 11 medals, Felix finally let the weight of the moment hit her.
As she stood alongside her teammates – Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu – with their gold medals around their necks as the national anthem played and a small but noisy crowd at the Olympic Stadium watched her , she tried to enjoy every second.
“To be around these women at that time was really special,” she said.
A star team of women who had all won individual medals this week was a fitting way to honor Felix’s legendary career which spanned five Olympic Games. McLaughlin, who turned 22 on Saturday, won gold in the 400-meter hurdles, and Mu, who is 19 and won gold in the 800, are two of the U.S. team’s brightest young stars and have grew up admiring Felix, 35, as the team’s longtime face. Muhammad, 31, is only a few years younger than Felix, but she too made it clear what Felix meant to her.
“She of course won [the gold medal], but she deserves it too, ”Muhammad said after the race.“ And so certainly [I’ve] correct [been] inspired by her throughout my career. And I’m really honored to have been part of this team with her in her last Olympics. I think we’re going to come back to that and think about how special that moment really was. “
All three women said winning the relay was the highlight of their Olympics. The team ran at a breakneck pace from start to finish – and Mu, who anchored the race, crossed the finish line almost four seconds ahead of Poland, the second-place team. It was the fifth fastest time in history.
At the end of the race, the four women gathered and said a prayer on the track before posing for photos with the American flags. For Felix, it was the last lap of victory.
“I just came out really at peace, and wanted to soak up all of it,” said Felix, the only one of the four to have competed in the 400 meters earlier in these Games. “Obviously, [I had] full confidence in the team. I think it’s a really special team because we’re not 400m runners. I don’t consider myself to be a 400-meter specialist. We all do different things. It was really cool to get together, to finish the Olympics and, for me, my Olympic career. “
After a difficult pregnancy and childbirth with daughter Camryn in 2018 – Camryn’s first weeks of life were spent in the NICU – Felix was unsure whether he could return to the sport’s biggest stage.
But she was determined to return to the Olympics one last time and show her daughter that anything was possible. And she wanted to inspire women around the world to pursue their dreams. Along the way, she has become a strong advocate for moms and female athletes. She publicly hired her former godfather, Nike, who wanted to drastically reduce her sponsorship pay when she got pregnant. Felix even testified before convention about the maternal health crisis facing the black community and advocated for action.
Felix qualified for the Olympic team with a second place finish in the 400-meter practice in June as Camryn watched from the stands. She knew the Olympics would be a challenge, but she wanted to put everything aside on the track and make her way to the 400-meter final.
“When I was younger I don’t think I ever thought about making a final,” she said earlier this week. “It’s a humbling experience, but it’s also very rewarding to see the progress.”
By recording his best time since 2015, Félix won bronze. She said she hadn’t focused on winning a medal, but rather racing for herself in this last individual race at the Olympics. Still, she called the medal “extra special”.
A day later, Felix was back on the podium. This time she was surrounded by women who are part of her incredible heritage. She was sometimes emotional when speaking to the media after the race. She said she believed everything had brought her to this moment.
“I had to face challenges in the fight,” said Felix. “I’m absolutely where I’m supposed to be. You know, sometimes I think you just have to fight.”
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