EUGENE, Ore. — It’s been 17 years since a California teenager named Allyson Felix first secured her spot on an Olympic crew.
Nine Olympic medals, 13 world titles and one daughter later, she’s accomplished it once more.
One of essentially the most adorned athletes within the historical past of U.S. observe and area, Felix formally secured her spot at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday by ending second within the remaining of the 400-meter sprint at the Olympic trials, with a time of 50.02 seconds. This will likely be her fifth journey to the Summer Games, and her first as a mom.
“Man, it has been a fight to get here,” Felix mentioned on NBC after the race. “And one thing I know how to do is fight.”
Felix, 35, has gained a number of gold medals in every of the previous two iterations of the Games and a complete of six golds total. Her efficiency Sunday ensured that she is going to compete individually in Tokyo at 400 meters, although she is going to doubtless even be a part of at least one relay crew – whether or not it is the ladies’s 4×400 or the mixed-gender 4×400, which is a brand new occasion in 2021.
She is scheduled to run the 200-meter sprint at trials subsequent week, as nicely.
Quanera Hayes, 29, gained the ultimate with a time of 49.78, whereas 23-year-old Wadeline Jonathas got here in third, one-hundredth of a second behind Felix.
While Felix isn’t any stranger to Olympic competitors, the street she’s taken to those Games has been winding and, at occasions, bumpy.
In November 2018, Felix gave start to her daughter, Camryn, by means of emergency C-section after being recognized with a doubtlessly life-threatening being pregnant complication. Upon her return, one in all her main sponsors, Nike, tried to chop her pay by 70% and declined to guard her pay if her post-pregnancy performances have been less than par. She has since switched to Athleta.
“I feel like everybody’s been on this journey with me. They’ve seen me overcome some pretty big battles,” Felix mentioned Saturday. “There were moments I didn’t think that I’d be able to make it to this point, and I think that makes me all the more grateful to be here.”
Felix received again on the observe in 2019 and gained two relay gold medals at the world championships in Doha. But the Olympics have lengthy been her main aim. She’s spoken repeatedly about desirous to get again on the rostrum to set an instance for Camryn.
“I’ve always had a drive and a desire to win,” she not too long ago told USA TODAY Sports, “but I think now, being a mom, it’s really about teaching her how to overcome adversity and showing her what hard work looks like.”
Felix has mentioned she intends to retire earlier than the following Summer Games, in Paris in 2024, so Tokyo will likely be her remaining Olympic hurrah.
Contributing: Emily Adams
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
