Allyson Felix

Announcing her prospective retirement at the end of the 2022 season, legendary sprinter Allyson Felix said, ‘This season isn’t about the time on the clock, it’s simply about joy.’ Born on November 18, 1985, in Los Angeles, California, Felix has the distinction of being the most decorated American track and field athlete in the history of the Olympic Games and the most decorated track and field athlete, of any nationality, in the history of the World Athletics Championships.

Felix competed in five consecutive Olympic Games between 2004 and 2020, winning a total of 11 medals, including seven gold medals. The majority of her gold medals came in relay events, four in the 4×400-metre relay, in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020, and two in the 4×100-metre relay, in 2012 and 2016. Indeed, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, alongside compatriots Tianna Madison, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter, Felix helped to set a new world record of 40.82 seconds for the 4×100-metre relay, beating the previous mark set by East Germany in 1985. Individually, she won gold in the 200 metres in 2012, silver in the 200 metres in 2004 and 2008, silver in the 400 metres in 2016 and bronze in the 400 metres in 2020.

At the World Athletics Championships, Felix was just 19 years old when she claimed her first 200-metre workd title at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in August, 2005, but proved that performance was no fluke by retaining her title in both 2007 and 2009. She also won bronze over 200 metres in 2011. Over 400 metres, she won silver in 2011, gold in 2015 and bronze in 2017. In addition to seven individual medals, Felix also won 11 in relay events for a total of 18.