She Just Medaled in Her 5th Straight Summer Games

Allyson Felix collects 10th medal, most of any female track star in history
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 6, 2021 11:04 AM CDT
Medal No. 10 Is Major Milestone for US Olympian
Allyson Felix of the United States smiles after taking the bronze in the 400 meters.   (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

US track star Allyson Felix earned some serious bragging rights on Friday when she won the bronze in the 400 meters. The medal is the 10th in her career, making the 35-year-old the most decorated female track athlete not just in the US but in any country, reports NPR. It also ties her with Carl Lewis for the most medals won by any US track athlete, and he took notice. "Congratulations," he tweeted. "35 never looked so good. What an amazing career and inspiration." This is Felix's fifth Olympics, and she has medaled in each one since 2004.

"Just joy," Felix said after the race, per Yahoo Sports. "This one is very different, and it's very special. ... It's my first bronze medal and it's just, oh man, it's hard to describe because I feel like all the other ones I was really just so focused on the performance and this one it just is so much bigger than that." She is expected to run for medal No. 11 Saturday in the 4x400 relay. If she gets it, she would be just one back of the all-time record in track of the 12 medals won by Finland's Paavo Nurmi, who competed in the 1920s. (This US Olympian has managed to medal in the both the Summer and Winter Games.)

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