Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Allyson Felix, the most decorated woman in Olympic athletics history with 11 medals, says she is planning a comeback at age 40 with her eyes on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Felix told Time magazine in a story published online on Monday that she is preparing for what she hopes will be a sixth Olympics in her hometown when she will be 42.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime homecoming,” Felix said of her Olympic dream. “And it is the only thing powerful enough to pull me back.” Felix is the most decorated American Olympian in athletics. She captured her only solo gold in the 200 meters at London in 2012, added gold in the 4×400 relay in 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, and 2021 in Tokyo, and won 4×100 titles in 2012 and 2016. She took 200m silver in 2004 and 2008, 400 silver in 2016, and 400 bronze at Tokyo.
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Felix has championed women returning to competition after having children. She gave birth to a daughter in 2018 and a son in 2024. Felix attended the 2024 Paris Olympics as a spectator and found she yearned for her competitive days. “It was definitely mixed emotions,” Felix told the magazine. “There were moments where I was like, ‘Oh, this is so great. It’s so exciting to be in the stands and on the other side.’ And then there were moments where I was, ‘You know, I miss this feeling.'”
Felix also won a record 20 medals at the World Championships, the most for any woman or man, including 14 titles. She won the 200 crown in 2005, 2007, and 2009 and the 400 in 2015, as well as three 4×100 relay titles, a 4×400 mixed relay crown in 2019, and six women’s 4×400 relay golds, including at what was her farewell meet, the 2022 worlds in Eugene, Oregon.
Felix, a member of the athletes commission for the 2028 LA Olympic organizing committee, said she is realistic about her quest. “I know, at 40, I am not at my peak. I have no illusions about that,” Felix said. “I’m very clear in what it is and what I want to see. And so I hope it’s seen that way.” Getting support from a home crowd is part of her goal.
“When I was competing, you just heard this roar for host-country athletes at the Olympics,” Felix said. “I would love to experience that.” Simply making the attempt to compete at the LA Games is a victory of its own for Felix. “I would probably be upset at myself if I just didn’t give it a try,” Felix said. “However it turns out, I’ll still be there with my kids, hanging out and cheering everybody on.”
© 2024 AFP
