Olympian Allyson Felix Says Track and Field Is 'Naturally Rubbing Off' on Her Daughter Cammy
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Allyson Felix has left an indelible mark on women's sports as a five-time Olympian and 11-time medalist. And the baton that is her legacy could be picked up by the next generation in her very own family.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Felix, 35, raved about her 2½-year-old daughter Cammy, whom she shares with husband Kenneth Ferguson.
"I think I'm just mom to Cammy. At the end of the day, I'm somebody who cleans up the house and who makes sure that she has everything she needs," the mom of one joked about her toddler, who was asleep in Los Angeles and was unable to stay up to watch most of her mom's Tokyo competitions.
"But she does understand more now that I do run. She loves to cheer and she loves to do the start commands. All of those things, she's really into. Little by little, she'll get it," Felix shared.
"I'll tell her all about it one day," the star added of telling her daughter about all of her history-making races and cementing her GOAT status since the 2004 Athens Games.
David Ramos/Getty
Allyson Felix / Instagram Story
Reflecting on her Tokyo experience — her fifth and final Olympics but first as a mother — Felix said this year's Games were "so special," adding that she wanted to be "more vulnerable and just transparent" about her "being an older athlete" and a new mom. (At age 35, Felix was the oldest track and field athlete to win a gold medal.)
"It has just given me a whole new perspective. I credit that so much to this experience, and my daughter and for her really helping me to find my voice," Felix said.
Cammy was able to first witness her mom in action at the Olympic trials in June. "That was the first time, at a competition, where there were other people. Because she had come to some during COVID, but no one was there. For her to be there, I think it's like the biggest park in the world for her to run around in," Felix proudly recalled.
Steph Chambers/Getty
RELATED: Women Won Most of Team USA's Medals — and Have One of the Highest Hauls of All Countries
"She was down on the track and she was with my friends' kids doing all of the things and living her best life. She has a really fun time, whenever she gets to come because she's been at the track with me training and she's been in the environment so much, I think naturally it's just rubbing off on her a bit," the athlete shared.
"So we'll see what she decides to do. I would love for her to go down a different path or a different sport. But, of course, I'll support her whatever she decides," Felix said of whether her daughter will follow in her footsteps one day.
"I think we have those desires, just because we've been in this sport for so long and we know how hard it is. We want the best for our children. Sometimes you hope they'll take a different route, but then it's like sometimes it feels inevitable," she noted.
As she transitions from track star to entrepreneur, Felix said she will always remind herself of why she does the things she puts her heart and soul into.
"My why is definitely my daughter," she emphasized.
