Allyson Felix Is the Most Decorated U.S. Olympic Track Athlete Ever

Allyson Felix has now won the most Olympic medals of any U.S. track athlete.

The 35-year-old broke U.S. Olympic records this weekend when she won her 10th and 11th Olympic medals in Tokyo. After winning a gold medal in the U.S. women's 4 x 400 meter relay Saturday, Felix surpassed the record of track legend Carl Lewis to become the most decorated track and field athlete, male or female in U.S. history.

Felix and her teammates Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, and Athing Mu, won the relay with a time of 3:16.85. Each woman on the relay team also won individual medals in Tokyo, per People. The 4 x 400 meter relay was the final race of Felix's career, which has spanned five Olympic games.

Tokyo was Felix's first Olympic games since she welcomed her daughter Camryn in November 2018 with husband Kenneth Ferguson. After winning her 10th medal in the women's 400 meter race Friday, Felix shared her thoughts on winning her first medal since her daughter's birth. "I think this one is my favorite medal because of the journey it represents," she wrote.

She continued, "Sitting in the NICU listening to Cammy’s monitors beeping as she stopped breathing again and I thought we might lose our daughter again. The days with no sponsor when there were so many voices of doubt telling me to just retire. There were days that I never thought I’d be able to get back into race shape ever again. These are some of my struggles, but I know you’ve been going through your own, but look at us still smiling!!"

Felix kept up her training for her fifth Olympic appearance after the pandemic hit and the Tokyo Olympics were postponed. In the Summer 2020 issue of Harper's Bazaar, Felix shared how she adjusted her routine and coped with the changes.

"My training in the last two-plus months has looked very different than it did before. I’ve been training in the street in front of my house, on trails, on empty fields, and just really adapting and getting creative. But throughout this time I’ve really just tried to stay focused on my goals. Even though they are going to be much further away now, I’m really trying to make the decision to consciously be positive," Felix said.

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