The Woman Who Achieved The Unthinkable

Allyson Felix took home the gold in the mixed-gender 4x400m relay on September 29 of 2019, putting her at a total of 12 gold medals. Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive, previously held the record with 11 gold medal wins.

What sets her apart is her journey to this achievement. Felix achieved the record just ten months after giving birth to her daughter via emergency C-section. But this didn’t stop her from winning gold at the mixed-gender 4x400m relay. This was her first tournament as a mother, and she rocked it. After the race, the runner called her accomplishment “really special.”

She told NBC Sports, “It was really special… It’s been a crazy year for me, so just to be here to be running with this great Team, I just feel so blessed.”

Felix won a total of nine medals at the Olympic Games and is the only female track and field athlete ever to win six Olympic gold medals.

The rescheduled 2020 summer Olympic games are set to begin next year in Tokyo. The nine-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix is hoping to compete in her fifth games.

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When the games were first postponed, Felix came out with a strong message of hope that the games would happen despite the delay. A couple of months later, with coronavirus still raging, NBC4 News reporter Lolita Lopez asked Felix if she still thinks that she will be able to compete.

The athlete said, “I feel like I have to hold on to hope. I understand what the world is facing and how serious it is, but as long as we’ve scheduled to compete, I’m going to keep pushing forward, and I want to be there.”

In 2017, Felix was named Sportswoman of the Year. Back then, she had six Olympic gold medals in track and field, most of any woman in history, and nine Olympic medals. However, her 2016 wasn’t just a victory but her biggest challenge.

Back then, when she was finishing her routine in the gym in an up on a pull-up bar, her ankle collapsed. In an interview with FOX Sports West, the runner confessed, “I thought it was all over.”

Felix got injured two months before the Olympic trials. She was devastated. Thankfully, she received a tremendous amount of support from her coach, family, and followers. The runner was able to assist and represent her country.

Her achievements are well known. She has won a staggering nine medals in 4 Olympics games. Six of these Olympic medals are gold. When she ran at the world championship, she was a mother on a mission.

Many other women athletes did not allow pregnancy to stop them from winning. In 2017, Serena Williams won the Australian Open while she was eight weeks pregnant. She defeated her big sister Venus Williams in two straight sets (6-4, 6-4).

Beach Volleyball player Kerri Walsh was five weeks pregnant during the London Olympics. Playing for the USA, she won her third gold medal at the tournament.

These women are an inspiration for millions of other women. Allyson Felix is the living proof that anything is possible. Records and rules are meant to be broken.