Allyson Felix, 40, Unretires, Wants to Compete in LA Olympics

USA track and field legend Allyson Felix declared her intent to come out of retirement and compete in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles native retired in 2022 as the most decorated female track and field athlete in Olympic history, but expects to return to training full-time with her coach in the fall.

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Felix won 11 medals at the Olympics, seven of which were gold. She specialized in the 200m during the early days of her career, but transitioned to longer distances as her retirement grew closer. Four of her Olympic gold medals came in the 4 x 400m relay, the most recent of which came in 2020.

Aug 7, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Allyson Felix (USA) celebrates winning the gold medal in the women’s 4×400 relay final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Outside of the Olympics, Felix competed in the Track and Field World Championships beginning in 2005. She won 14 gold medals at the World Championships throughout her career, taking her first gold in the 200m in Helsinki in 2005 and her final one in Eugene in 2022.

If Felix were to return, she would become the first U.S. track and field athlete to feature in the Olympics six times. Felix, who will be 42 come the start of the 2028 Games, is aware she has an uphill battle ahead of her, but that hasn’t disheartened her in the slightest.

“When I was competing, you just heard this roar for host-country athletes at the Olympics,” Felix said. “I would love to experience that. …I would probably be upset at myself if I just didn’t give it a try. However it turns out, I’ll still be there with my kids, hanging out and cheering everybody on.” ”