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July 2022 marked the end of an illustrious career for the world’s most highly decorated track and field athlete, Allyson Felix. "I felt the love," Felix said of her final run at the World Athletics Championships held at the University of Oregon on July 15th. "And I felt joy running tonight."
Although capping her legacy with another medal was an amazing feat at the age of 36, Felix has greater aspirations to inspire and advocate for women and mothers everywhere. Much of that drive comes from becoming a mother herself and dealing with related issues. In 2019, Felix disclosed to the New York Times that her longtime sponsor, Nike, would pay her 70% less due to her pregnancy. In addition, Felix was suddenly diagnosed with a severe case of preeclampsia and underwent an emergency C-section that left her and her daughter, Camryn, at risk of survival.
Years later, mom and daughter are thriving, but the memories are unforgettable. "I didn't realize that I was at risk [for pregnancy complications]," she told POPSUGAR in an interview. "I felt that was my job: to share my story and to help other women to understand some things that they could look for."
Part of Felix's effort now is to embolden other Black pregnant people to advocate for themselves in the doctor's office. "The biggest thing is to not be intimidated," she said while recognizing how hard that can be. "Just [don't] let it go, whether that is yourself speaking up or having somebody else in place.”
Concentrating on causes important to her, while growing her Saysh brand, has Felix eager to move forward in projects outside of the track. The 2022-23 Florida Forum Speaker Series, a fundraiser for Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, will feature the 11-time Olympic medalist on Jan. 18 at the Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Jacksonville.
Advocating for working moms in sports is a noble cause that Top Form Psych highly respects and regards as a belittled issue in the field of athletics. Allyson Felix knows the importance of her newfound cause and we name her our TOP performer of July 2022.
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