Most-decorated US Olympian, Felix set to retire at end of the season
American athletics great Allyson Felix has announced her retirement from the sport at the end of the season at the age of 36, ending her career as the most-decorated Olympian in her sport from the United States.
Felix is an 11-time medallist at the Olympic Games, with seven of these being golds, three silver medals and one bronze.
Individually, she won the women's 200 metres at London 2012, as well as silver medals in the event at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
Felix claimed silver in the 400m at Rio 2016 and bronze in the event at Tokyo 2020, meaning she had stood on the podium in individual competition at five separate Games.
She was a relay specialist too - winning six gold medals in either the 4x100m or 4x400m.
Felix was pivotal to the US success in the women's 4x400m relay, winning four consecutive titles from 2008 to 2020.
At London 2012 and Rio 2016, she was part of the team that won gold in both events.
Felix is also a three-time world champion in the 200m, the 2015 400m world gold medallist and a nine-time world outdoor relay champion.
She announced her retirement on Instagram, adding that she looks to continue her career off the track with a dedication to improving standards for women.
"I have so much gratitude for this sport that has changed my life," said Felix.
"I have given everything I have to running and for the first time I'm not sure if I have anything left to give.
"This season I'm running for women.
"I'm running for a better future for my daughter.
"I'm running for you.
"More to come on that, so stay tuned, but I'll be sharing a series of announcements that I’m hoping will make the world better for women."
Felix has been regarded as one of the most vocal feminist athletes in the sport, becoming an advocate for maternal health and women's empowerment.
She - along with fellow Americans Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher - have been credited for bringing attention to Nike's refusal to guarantee salary protections for pregnant athletes, which led to an improvement of its maternal policy in 2019.
Felix gave birth to her daughter Camryn in 2018 and later returned to win two more medals at Tokyo 2020.
