Who Is Allyson Felix?

Team Her CircleMay 03, 2022

Allyson Felix, is a name you must have definitely heard for her impeccable work in the world of sports. She is an American track and field athlete, and one of the most celebrated women in Olympic history. Allyson has also been on the list of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 and 2021. She has also earned the honour of becoming the first female track and field athlete to bag an impressive number of 11 Olympic gold medals.

Early Life of Allyson Felix

Allyson was born on November 18, 1985, in Los Angeles California. She studied at Los Angeles Baptist High School in California. She discovered her talent for running in the ninth grade. Her first track performance led her to finish seventh in the California State Meet, after which she became a five-time winner at the meet. Allyson Felix achieved her first international title at the Debrecan World Youth Championships in 2001, in the 100 meters race. The ‘Track and Field News’, an American sports magazine covered her as national girls’ High School Athlete of The Year. She stood second in the US Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 200 meters race. In the same year, she ran 22.11 seconds in front of 50,000 fans in Mexico, becoming the fastest in history as a high school girl. The biggest highlight of her journey as a young athlete began in 2003, when she made headlines after her contract with Adidas, waiving her college eligibility. The company paid her a confidential sum of money and sponsored her tuition fee at the University of Southern California.

The career of Allyson Felix

‘Allyson Felix medals’ speak volumes about her brilliant victories as a path-breaking athlete. Her first attendance at the Olympics was at the age of 18. She earned a silver medal back then at Athens in the 200 meters, Summer Olympics 2004. Since then, she has been a part of all the Olympic championships—Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Allyson has been a standout at all the races ranging from 200m to 400 m, 4x100 m relay and 4x400 m relay.

At 200 metres, she became a three-time World Champion (2005-2009), the two-time silver medalist at the Olympics (2004 and 2008) and the Olympic Champion (2012).

At 400 metres, Allyson became a World Silver Medalist (2011), World Champion (2015), Olympic Silver Medalist (2016), World Bronze Medalist (2017), and Olympic Bronze Medalist (2020).

At 400 x 400 metres, Felix played a pivotal role in the United States’ women's relay teams. She won four consecutive medals (2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020) and two medals in 4x100 metres, adding up to six Olympic gold medals.

She has to her credit 9 Olympic medals and 13 world championship medals, establishing her as the most-rewarded female runner from the United States of America. Her first appearance at the Met Gala was in the year 2021 which she attended as a guest of Athleta. She also launched her two capsule collections with them along with ‘Saysh’, her own shoe and lifestyle brand.

She welcomed her daughter Camryn with Kenneth Ferguson on November 28, 2018. Allyson also condemned her sponsor, Nike for giving pay cuts during her childbirth, which led to a new policy, in which the brand offers 18 months of pay and bonuses to sponsored athletes during pregnancy.

Memorable Quotes by Allyson Felix

Here are some of the most memorable and powerful quotes by the track star, Allyson Felix.

1. “After the race was THE race. The future is looking bright!”

2. “When you see me run, know that I’m not running for medals. I’m running for a change. I’m running for greater equity for each of us. I’m running for women. More than anything, I’m running toward a future where no woman or girl is ever told to know her place.”

3. “When you are talking about life-changing situations, I think becoming a mother and having a daughter and understanding what she’ll face in the world, it’s just bigger than myself and any comforts that I’ve experienced”

4. “My mom is great and I make sure that we pray together before every race. She helps me put everything in perspective and reminds me of the real reason I run.”

5. “I spend around three hours on the track and two hours in the weight room, five or six days a week.”

6. “I am a big believer in visualization. I run through my races mentally so that I feel even more prepared.”

Special Facts about Allyson Felix

Here are some of the special facts that you must know about Allyson Felix, a woman extraordinaire.

In high school, Allyson was mockingly called ‘chicken legs.

Allyson loves baking. Her baking specialities include German chocolate cake, pound cake and cinnamon rolls.

Allyson could have probably been a gymnast too. That was her first love but it did not end up happening.

No one actually calls her by the name ‘Allyson’ at home. Her nickname is actually Shug.

Allyson is a participant of ‘Project Believe’ where she volunteers for extra drug testing as she believes that athletes can win on their own capability. At an interview, she mentioned to the BBC, “I want children to know that they can do it on their natural ability”.

Historic Olympic Medals of Allyson Felix

If you search for ‘Allyson Felix Olympic Medals’, you will find her glorious wins everywhere. Let’s look at her historic Olympic medals.

200 metres, Olympic Games, Athens, 2004

Allyson won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Athens during the women’s 200-metre final.

200 metres and 4x400 metre Relay, Beijing Olympics, 2008

Felix won yet another silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. She won a gold medal in the 4x400 metre relay race.

200 metres and 4x100 metres, London Olympics

Allyson finished the 200-metres race and the 4x100 metre relay at the London Olympics and won a gold medal for each.

4x100 metre relay and 4x400 metre relay, 400 metres, Rio Olympics

Allyson Felix won a gold medal for each relay race and a silver medal for the 400-metre race.

4x400 metre relay and 400 metres, Tokyo Olympics

Felix won a gold medal for the relay race and a bronze medal for the 400-metre race.

Why Allyson Felix is an inspiration

Undeniably, one of the greatest athletes of all time, Allyson Felix’s achievements are testimony to sheer hard work and fortitude like no other. Right from the time she made headlines in the year 2003 and signed her first professional contract with Adidas, Felix has been unstoppable in her journey throughout. She chose to talk about her childbirth experience and addressed her concerns over Nike’s unreasonable contract surrounding her pregnancy. She then partnered with Athleta, a brand that supported her vision and started her own shoe line.

Felix’s open-ended letter to Nike led the company to announce a change in their maternity contract of guaranteed pay for a period of 18 months during their athlete’s pregnancy. She broke the legendary Usain Bolt’s record of earning maximum World Championship Gold Medals which came straight after 10 months after her daughter was born via an emergency C-section. She wanted to set an example for her two-year-old daughter who became her inspiration to keep pushing forward.

Felix has used her voice not just as a sportsperson but as a woman, forthrightly talking about the challenges she faced as an athlete and as a mother.

How can you be the next Allyson Felix?

Never let anybody belittle you. Just like Allyson didn’t let being called ‘Chicken legs’ affect her while she continued focusing on her sport, do not let anybody’s remarks come in the way of your goals.

Choose a career in what you do best. Allyson’s bests have been the 200 metres and 400 metres races and she nails them each time.

Make your victory a sure shot one. Each time Allyson Felix has been a part of the race, it is easy to predict that she would be the winner. Work hard towards your goal with an indomitable spirit, so much so that you visualize it just like Felix would for her races.

Be humble. Despite any situation in your life, stay humble. Felix has always remained humble irrespective of the result.

Live with conviction and courage. Felix has always stood up for a variety of causes right from pay equity to anti-black racism and raising her voice for the working mothers. She has not shied away from talking about the toughest issues or initiating the biggest changes. For anything in life, your conviction has to be the strongest so you can take charge of your own life and not let injustice dominate you by any means.

Conclusion

The words ‘Felix Olympics’ are almost like a good recall of what a fabulous journey Allyson Felix has etched out for herself, inspiring women across the world. She is the epitome of brilliance and a woman who with undying perseverance and unshakeable self-confidence.