With the United States’ 4×400 women’s relay gold medal win on Saturday, Allyson Felix who broke Carl Lewis’ record becomes the most decorated U.S. track athlete in Olympic history. The feat is the culmination of a career spanning over a decade, the first medal being awarded in the 200-meter final at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Felix has made a name for herself on and off of the field of play, being a fierce advocate for maternity rights. In November 2018, she gave birth to her daughter, Camryn, after being diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. The illness is a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication and led to Felix undergoing an emergency c-section.
As for the future, Felix told USA TODAY she intends to retire before the 2024 Paris Summer Games, so Tokyo looked to be her final Olympic hurrah. The hurrah is now capped with a historic record.
