US sprinter Allyson Felix, 35, wins bronze in the 400 meters to set a women's Olympic track record with her 10th medal three years after giving birth to her daughter: 'Hopefully, a lot of mothers will see themselves in me'
American sprinter Allyson Felix ran into the record books on Friday in Tokyo by finishing third in the 400 meters to win her 10th career medal and become the most-decorated woman in Olympic track history.
The 35-year-old Felix, a stalwart of American track and field, started in the outside lane and outraced Stephanie Ann McPherson of Jamaica to take third place by .15 seconds. Shaunae Miller-Uibo blew away the field, winning in 48.36 seconds to defend her Olympic title from Rio de Janeiro.
'It was a fight to get here,' Felix told reporters. 'When I was younger, I never really thought about making a final. This time, you get older and it seems harder. You just have to get smarter and figure it out.
'I had to take it one round at a time. It is a very humbling experience but very rewarding to see the progress.'
Felix's 10th Olympic medal broke a tie with Jamaican runner Merlene Ottey, and matches Carl Lewis, who also won 10 medals and was alone as the most decorated US athlete in track. Dating back to Athens in 2004, Felix has won six golds, three silvers, and a bronze medal.
American sprinter Allyson Felix ran into the record books on Friday in Tokyo by finishing third in the 400 meters to win her 10th career medal and become the most-decorated woman in Olympic track history
Shaunae Miller-Uibo, of Bahamas crosses the line to win the gold medal ahead of Allyson Felix, of United States, bronze, in the final of women's 400-meters at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Allyson Felix of the United States and Quanera Hayes hug after the 400 meters. Felix raises the American flag after taking third in the 400 meters in Tokyo on Friday
Incredible đź‘Źđź‘Źđź‘Ź
— ESPN (@espn) August 6, 2021
Shaunae Miller-Uibo wins the women's 400m 🥇@allysonfelix takes the bronze and wins her 10th Olympic medal, tying Carl Lewis for the most by a U.S. track and field athlete.
(via @NBCOlympics)pic.twitter.com/ZQ3ltNBgwF
Incredible đź‘Źđź‘Źđź‘Ź
Shaunae Miller-Uibo wins the women's 400m 🥇@allysonfelix takes the bronze and wins her 10th Olympic medal, tying Carl Lewis for the most by a U.S. track and field athlete.
(via @NBCOlympics)pic.twitter.com/ZQ3ltNBgwF
Allyson Felix holds up her bronze medal - the 10th of her remarkable Olympic career
Allyson Felix celebrates with her daughter Camryn after day nine of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 26 in Oregon
Felix's 10th Olympic medal broke a tie with Jamaican runner Merlene Ottey, and matches Carl Lewis, who congratulated her on Twitter
'Congratulations @allysonfelix,' Lewis wrote on Twitter. '35 never looked so good. What an amazing career and inspiration. Now on to the relay.'
The victory for Felix comes nearly three years after she helped spearhead a conversation about the way women are treated in track, and sports in general. She severed ties with Nike, which wrote in pay reductions to women's contracts if they became pregnant.
Allyson Felix celebrates with her daughter Camryn after finishing second in the Women's 400 Meters Final on day three of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials on June 20, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon.
Felix gave birth to her daughter, Camryn, via an emergency C-section in 2018 following medical complications.
'There are a lot of moments when I was doubtful that I would be able to feel like myself again,' said Felix. 'I am slowly getting there and, for me, it is just one race at a time. I will re-focus, regroup and get back out there and keep fighting.
'Hopefully, a lot of mothers will see themselves in me. I just want to be that inspiration.'
She won the race wearing a shoe she designed for Saysh, a company she created.
This is the first bronze medal of an Olympic career that spans back to the 2004 Athens Games. Earlier, she had won six gold and three silver. She could go for No. 11 if the US puts her in the 4x400 relay final, which is set for Saturday night.
While third place might have been a letdown in the past for Felix - famous are the snapshots of her crying in the recesses of the stadium after some hard-luck losses in Athens and Beijing - this one was nothing but sweet.
Felix won the race wearing a shoe she designed for Saysh, a company she created
Felix gave birth to her daughter, Camryn , via an emergency C-section in 2018
Allyson Felix shakes hands with supporters after winning bronze in the 400 meters
Allyson Felix of the United States celebrates with her national flag after winning bronze in the women's 400-meter final at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Allyson Felix is seen running on Friday during the 400 meter dash at the Tokyo Games
Felix has spoken candidly about the struggle to come back from a difficult pregnancy that led to an emergency C-section and put the lives of both her and her baby in jeopardy.
She's spoken of the pressure she felt to return quickly, even when her body wasn't responding the way it once did.
She also overcame one of her biggest hurdles - leaving her well-cultivated private image behind to become a spokesperson for something much bigger.
This week, she gave voice to the topic that's been filtering through the Tokyo Olympics - the pressure to win.
'When I line up for a race, I'm normally afraid,' she said in a heartfelt essay on social media, posted only hours before the race. 'I'm not afraid of losing. I lose much more than I win. That's life and I think that's how it's supposed to be.'
After a semifinal heat in which she had to run full-out to make it to the medal race, she conceded that merely getting this far was quite an accomplishment. She's not as young as she used to be, she quipped. Unspoken was the thought that she might walk away without a medal in her last individual Olympic race.
(From left) US athletes Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix, Monique Henderson and Sanya Richards pose with their gold medals after winning the women's 4x400m relay at the National stadium as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 23, 2008
Felix leads the field in the Women's 200m Final on Day 12 of the London 2012 Olympic Games
Gold medalist DeeDee Trotter, Allyson Felix, Francena McCorory and Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States pose on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women's 4 x 400m Relay on Day 15 of the London 2012 Olympic Games
Her result in the semifinals relegated her to Lane 9, the far outside - a spot where you cannot see any of the runners until reaching the homestretch. Felix resisted the urge to go out too quickly, and when she rounded the last bend, she was in a battle for third with McPherson.
Silver medalist Allyson Felix of the United States poses during the medal ceremony for the Women's 400m Final on Day 11 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 16, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro
Felix won it, then collapsed on the ground - smiling wide this time for third place, a result that put her alone in the record books.
For Felix, the road to Tokyo has been filled with more twists and turns than she might've imagined two decades ago when she burst onto the scene as America's fresh-faced sprint star.
They included the difficult birth of her now-2-year-old daughter, Camryn, who spent time in the neonatal intensive-care unit after she was born; and a very pronounced move into advocacy for female athletes in her sport, many of whom had been left on the sideline by sponsors when they became pregnant.
The COVID-19 pandemic put an even tougher spin on things, costing Felix a year at a time in her career when every day counts. To make the most of the time, Felix found herself waiting outside her house for coach Bobby Kersee to measure out distances on the street so she could train while tracks and gyms were closed.
'My first year back was a struggle, and I just kept getting hit with thing after thing,' Felix told the Associated Press before the Tokyo Games began. 'There was the sponsorship battle with , and I was just 'Man, I hope something comes together for me.' I just kept fighting. I wanted to give it one more shot.'