Allyson Felix is officially retiring from Track and Field. The award-winning medalist has announced that she will retire after the 2022 season.
“As a little girl, they called me chicken legs, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I’d have a career like,” she wrote in her Instagram post.
“I have so much gratitude for this sport that has changed my life. I have given everything I have to running and for the first time, I’m not sure if I have anything left to give. I want to say goodbye and thank you to the sport and people who have helped shape me the only way I know how- with one last run.”
Felix added, “This season isn’t about the time on the clock, it’s simply about joy. If you see me on the track this year I hope to share a moment, a memory, and my appreciation with you.”
Throughout her 19-year career, Felix has won 11 Olympic medals participated in five Olympic Games and is a 10-time national champion.
When she is not on the track, Felix is fighting for equal pay for women in sports. While pregnant with her daughter in 2018, she discussed the difficulty she experienced while renegotiating her Nike endorsement.
“My disappointment is not just with Nike, but with how the sports apparel industry at large treats female athletes,” she stated. “Athletes are told to shut up and play. We are told that no one cares about our politics. We are told that we’re just entertainers, so run fast, jump high, and throw far. And don’t mess up. But pregnancy is not messing up.”
Allyson Felix credits her pregnancy and the complications she has experienced while delivering her daughter Camryn as her motivation.
“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. Here’s to my final season.”