Despite not winning the 4×400 mixed relay, Allyson Felix said goodbye at the height of her legend
Everything was prepared for a big farewell party, but Allyson Felix stayed in the middle. Last night an athletic legend retired, an icon of feminism who didn’t hesitate to take on the almighty Nike, and the Eugene stadium gave its final lap of the track in the mixed 4×400 final, but it didn’t go as expected. had dreamed. There was no final gold as her partner closing the mixed relay, Kennedy Simon, sank to be overtaken by Dominican Fiordaliza Cofil (gold) and Dutch Femke Bol (silver), who sent a warning to world record holder Sydney McLaughlin facing the 400 meters hurdles.
Felix, 36, was at least able to finish his massive sports career from the podium in Eugene. One of the best sprinters in history leaves, the most successful, with 11 medals at the Olympics and 19 at the World Cup, 13 of which were gold. An example of perseverance and longevity reflected in the fact that there are from his first world medal to his last 17 years, which improves the record of Jesús Ángel García Bragado (1993-2009). He has also added medals in eight world championships, leaving him behind Kenyan Ezekiel Kemboi since yesterday, a hurdle specialist who took the podium from Paris’03 to Beijing’15.
“It was really special. I felt a lot of love there and it was cool. I didn’t know exactly what to expect to race at home, but it lived up to all expectations. This is an evening that I really appreciate,” said the American, who had acknowledged before the race: “Finishing at home means coming full circle for me. It’s very, very special. During my career, I was always a little jealous of the athletes who competed at home. After the final of the 4×400, Felix paid tribute to in the flag of his country to thank the support he received for so many years at the forefront of athletics. “I hope I will be remembered as a fierce competitor, but the most important thing for me is to try to get this sport better behind than I found him. It was an incredible journey. I have enjoyed a lot in these years,” he acknowledged.
Nicknamed “Chicken Legs” in high school because of her leanness, Felix has been an athletic star since her inception and has remained so to this day, respected and admired by fans and rivals alike for her talent on the track and her personal performance. Since his harvest of medals in Games begins in Athens 2004 and in the World Cups in Helsinki 2005, his sports career at the highest level reaches almost two decades. And to become the most successful athlete in the history of the Games, she had to wait another year because of the pandemic, but in Tokyo she succeeded. She first took the tenth medal by finishing third in the 400 meters, which equaled her with Carl Lewis. And then it became unique, thanks to the victory in the American team’s long relay.
But Felix is also an example off the track. A strong champion of women’s rights, her confrontation with Nike after the birth of her daughter Camryn in 2018 after a risky pregnancy has remained in the memory. In a post-pregnancy contract extension, Nike tried to cut its emoluments by as much as 70%, Felix said. His struggle had such an impact that Nike, a company that originated exactly where Felix said goodbye yesterday, was forced not to financially punish athletes who decide to become mothers.
The sprinter broke with the company and created her own clothing and footwear brand aimed at women, called Saysh. “This rule is for that woman who has been overlooked, or feels like her voice has not been heard. That was the most important thing: listen to other women from all industries,” said the sprinter. Now, after fulfilling all his sporting dreams, Felix says goodbye to dedicate himself to his daughter. “Camryn is really the most important thing right now,” he said. With her he said goodbye at the Hayward Field track, with the audience and the rest of the participating athletes are legend delivered.
Source: La Verdad
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