By: Nina Samone
Decorated U.S. Olympian Allyson Felix was enjoying her favorite “cheat meal” of hot wings and a root beer float at a Los Angeles restaurant when she received a call to join the women’s relay team in Eugene, Oregon.
She was honored, and without hesitation accepted the invitation from coach Bobby Kersee to come out of retirement and run a leg on the women’s 4×400 team.
She was on a plane soon after, got in a few workouts and did what Allyson Felix does – she ran the fastest leg on the U.S. team at 50.61 seconds, allowing the Americans to finish in 3:23.38 in front of Great Britain and qualify for the final on Sunday.
“I was having hot wings and a root beer float, and I was just diving into that when I got a phone call,” Felix said. “They just asked if I would be willing to come back and run a round and help the team get a position, and so I dropped the wing.”
Her participation helped team USA have one of the most successful World Athletics Championships the country has ever seen. They won their 13th gold medal of the event and set a record with 33 total medals over 10 days at TrackTown USA in Eugene, Oregon.
Felix is a tremendous once-in-a-lifetime athlete – one of few to have participated in five Summer Olympic games.
For two decades, Felix has been one of the most dominating track athletes in the world. Her 11 Olympic medals also make her one of the most decorated athletes in USA track history.
Sources:
Ingle, Sean. July 24th, 2022. The Guardian. “Allyson Felix goes from eating hot wings in retirement to searing track comeback.” <https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/24/allyson-felix-goes-from-eating-hot-wings-in-retirement-to-searing-track-comeback>
Jones, Andrew. July 26th, 2022. ANDSCAPE. “Allyson Felix’s ‘comeback’ at the World Athletics Championships exemplified the class of her storied career.” <https://andscape.com/features/allyson-felixs-comeback-at-the-world-athletics-championships-exemplified-the-class-of-her-storied-career/>
Greif, Andrew. July 23rd, 2022. Los Angeles Times. “Allyson Felix goes from eating hot wings in retirement to running in 4×400 relay.” <https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2022-07-23/allyson-felix-short-lived-retirement-relay-semifinals-world-championships>
