Allyson Felix, the most decorated Olympic track athlete with 11 medals and seven golds, wants a ticket to the Games in her hometown of Los Angeles in 2028 and has no intention to buy it.
Felix, 40, said Monday she is launching a comeback four years after retirement to prove she remains worthy of representing the United States in the Summer Olympics and wants to do it as a mother of two children.
“Let’s go after the thing. Let’s be vulnerable,” she told Time magazine. “You know, at this age, I should probably be staying home and taking care of my kids, doing all that. And just, why not? Let’s flip it on its head.”
Felix said training is scheduled to begin in earnest in October with her longtime track coach, Bobby Kersee, and the intention would be to compete for a spot on the U.S. track team beginning in 2027.
Felix would be 42 by the time the Los Angeles Olympics begin in 2028.
Her 11 Olympic track medals are more than any woman and the count includes six gold medals in relay events and the 2012 gold in the 200 meters in London.
“I totally get the person who sticks around too long and you’re like, ‘What are they doing?'” Felix told Time. “I know, at 40, I am not at my peak. I have no illusions about that. I’m very clear in what it is and what I want to see. And so I hope it’s seen that way.”
–Field Level Media
