Allyson Felix: A supermom on her way to Tokyo Olympics 2020

Allyson Felix, 35, is on her way to her fifth Olympic appearance.

When Allyson Felix finished second in the women's 400m final at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2021, she confirmed her participation at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Athens 2004Beijing 2008London 2012Rio 2016Tokyo 2020@allysonfelix has qualified for her FIFTH Olympic Games. #TokyoOlympics @TeamUSA #TrackFieldTrials21 pic.twitter.com/34apVgpjxb

— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 21, 2021

Allyson Felix has probably achieved everything that a sprinter can ever dream of. She is the most decorated woman in the sport’s history and with just one more medal this summer, she will also tie Carl Lewis for the most decorated US Olympic track and field athlete.

But her second-place finish at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, would have tasted sweeter than any of her past accomplishments.

Why?

Because this time around Allyson Felix has tasted success as a mother.

Athens as a teenager. Tokyo as a mom. @allysonfelix qualifies for her fifth Olympic Games. Legend. #TrackFieldTrials21 pic.twitter.com/nSF4XuawuU

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) June 21, 2021

Hurdles in Allyson Felix's path

There were times when Allyson Felix felt that she would miss the bus to the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The biggest hurdle in her path was her life-threatening pregnancy complications.

Her daughter, Camryn, was born via emergency C-section at 32 weeks.

If only the road could have smoothened following the delivery.

Soon, Allyson Felix, as a part of a group of female track stars, alleged that Nike, one of her primary sponsors, had penalized her for being pregnant.

Nike accepted that there was inconsistency in their approach across different sports and in 2018 they standardized their approach across all sports so that no female athlete is penalized financially for pregnancy.

Then came the Coronavirus pandemic. And like everyone on earth, Allyson Felix too was affected by the spread of the virus. Her training rituals got severely hampered.

"The stay-at-home orders have really been a struggle, our facilities have been shut down and we've had to really turn to get creative.," Allyson Felix said.

The pandemic forced her to think differently and compelled her to redesign her training methods.

"It was something that was really hard to deal with, as an Olympic athlete, timing is everything and you make so many sacrifices to be able to be ready at the moment," Allyson Felix explained.

And just like how her fellow competitors were left behind when she was on track, these obstacles, too, were overtaken, as Allyson Felix was steadfast in her pursuit for more Olympic glory!

The ace sprinter's own words best summarize what she has been through.

"It has been a fight to get here, and one thing I know how to do is to fight, I just did it all the way home," Allyson Felix said.

The final race in itself proved yet another challenge. The start was good as she led in the initial burst of 100m. But then she fumbled a bit, lost her lead and even slipped to fourth, barely managing to keep up with the leading pack. But she did not give up and in the closing stages of the race, she had an extraordinary burst of energy and crossed the finish line in second place with the clock reading 50.02 seconds. It was only 0.24 seconds behind Quanera Hayes and 0.01 seconds ahead of Wadeline Jonathas.

Quanera Hayes would hold no grudges against Allyson Felix because she too is a mother!

And once the aggression of race decipated, love took over. Allyson Felix and Quanera Hayes celebrated their performances with their kids. There were hugs all over the track at Hayward Field.

When Allyson Felix is on track in Tokyo, she will join the likes of Sarena Williams, Lindsay Devenport, Victoria Azarenka, Kristin Armstrong, Nia Ali, Sarah Brown and many others who have returned to their sport after giving birth and found their prime form as if they were never away.

Tokyo awaits the arrival of a supermom!