Allyson Felix knew this year’s World Championships would be the last time she would compete on a track before officially retiring. The 36-year-old track and field star took part in the 2022 World Championships in July and took home gold and bronze medals solidifying her title as the most decorated athlete in World Championships history with 20 medals overall. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Felix talked about going out on top after having a successful track and field career.
“It was really special,” Felix exclusively told PopCulture. “In talking to my coach about doing this last year, he was saying, a lot of times the athletes, they don’t know when it’s their last race or their last season. And so I was really able to embrace that and to enjoy it and just share a lot of memories with people. I feel really fulfilled and I’m excited about the things that I’m working on now, my next projects and all of that. So I’m feeling pretty good.”
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Felix won the bronze medal in the 4×400 meter mixed relay and won gold in the 4×400 meter relay at the World Championships in Oregon. In the 4×400 meter relay, Felix didn’t compete in the final heat but was still awarded a gold medal. Of the 20 World Championship medals Felix won, 13 came from team events while the other seven were won in individual races.
The medals won at this year’s World Championship come nearly one year after Felix competed in her final Olympics. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, Felix won gold in the 4×400 meter relay and bronze in the 400-meter race. She now has 11 Olympic medals making her the most decorated American track and field athlete in Olympic history.
Because of the success Felix has had in track and field, it’s hard for her to name her most memorable moment. “The one moment that really sticks out to me was last year in Tokyo, being able to make it back to the Olympics and overcoming all the adversity, everything that I went through,” Felix recalled. “For the first time to be there as a mom and to be a representation for moms, for women, for really anybody who had been told that they couldn’t do something. And then being able to win a bronze and a gold in shoes that my company made, that was the highlight of it all. And so it was a really unforgettable moment for me.”
