US athletics great Allyson Felix is set to retire after this season, a decision she says has brought her no regrets. The 36-year-old sprinter made the announcement last month.
Speaking on the eve of the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Felix said, “I’ve had so many ups and downs along the way but I can’t imagine my life without it.”
With 11 Olympic medals, including her first from Athens in 2004 and her last from Tokyo last year, Felix is the most decorated woman in the history of Olympic athletics. She is also the most decorated athlete, male or female, in the history of the World Championships, having won 18 medals.
This year, the United States will host the World Championships for the first time ever, and Felix is ready to compete there one last time. She will run 200 metres at Ostrava but will hardly attack her personal best of 21.69 seconds from 2012.
When she quits, Felix is hoping to spend more time with her daughter Camryn, born in 2018, to continue advocating for female athletes, and to go on running her Saysh footwear company with her brother.
