History is still being made at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, even as the Games wind down. As of August 6, track and field star Allyson Felix is the most decorated woman in the Olympic sport.
She remains the most decorated woman in track overall.
Felix, 35, won bronze in the 400m race, coming in at 49.46 seconds. This was her first time at the Olympics since becoming a mother in 2018 and her fifth time participating since 2004.
She is now tied with fellow track athlete Carl Lewis for the most Olympic medals in track and field history.
“Hopefully, a lot of mothers will see themselves in me,” Felix said to reporters earlier this week. “I just want to be that inspiration.”
Felix has been open about the struggles she endured during birth. She had to undergo an emergency C-section at 32 weeks and her daughter, Camryn, spent time in NICU.
Felix is now behind a new footwear brand, SAYSH, which promotes gender equality and produced the shoes she wore during her latest legendary run. It was created after she publicly severed ties with her former sponsor.
Of the break up and announcement of her new venture, she wrote, “My employer did not support my maternity and my colleague’s maternity in a way that I could be proud of. I was told to know my place. That runners should just run that it’s just business.”
Read our interview with Felix about SAYSH here.
She also decided to work to create a great environment for mothers participating in the Olympics. Partnering with Athleta, Felix is offering grants to mothers who have to travel for sports competitions. The program set aside $200,000 to assist with “comprehensive support.”
Watch Felix’s record-setting performance below.