Olympic Legend Allyson Felix Eyes LA Comeback at Age 42

The greatest woman track athlete of all time wants one more race in front of her hometown crowd.

Allyson Felix, who retired after the Tokyo Olympics with a record seven gold medals and 11 total Olympic medals, is planning a comeback for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. She'll be 42 years old, a mother of two, and chasing something she's never experienced: competing in front of a home crowd at the Olympics.

Felix's numbers already place her in a category beyond comparison. She holds 11 Olympic medals, more than any woman in track and field history. Add her 20 World Championship medals, and her career total reaches 31 major international medals spanning two decades.

Her Olympic journey started in 2004 when she won silver in the 200 meters as a teenager. Over the next 17 years, she became the backbone of Team USA's relay dominance, winning six of her seven golds in team events alongside her individual 200m gold at the 2012 London Games.

The location makes all the difference this time. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime homecoming, and it is the only thing powerful enough to pull me back," Felix told Times magazine. She wants to hear the roar of a home crowd, something she witnessed other athletes experience but never felt herself.

This comeback looks nothing like her previous career. Felix, now raising seven-year-old daughter Camryn and two-year-old son Trey, won't compete on the global circuit. Instead, she plans to start full training with longtime coach Bobby Kersee in October and return to competition in 2027 to meet Olympic trials qualification requirements.

Why This Inspires

Felix isn't chasing perfection or trying to prove doubters wrong. She's showing what it looks like to pursue something meaningful on your own terms, even when the outcome isn't guaranteed.

"I know, at 40, I am not at my peak. I have no illusions about that," she said. "I would probably be upset at myself if I just didn't give it a try."

She gave birth to her second child in 2024 and spent recent years in the stands, experiencing mixed emotions about stepping away. Sometimes she loved being a spectator. Other times, she missed the feeling of competition.

Money isn't the motivation. "I would think track and field would not be the place to do it for the money," she laughed. Instead, it's about trying something that matters to her, regardless of whether she makes the team.

Felix serves on the athletes' commission for the LA28 organizing committee and wants to be part of the opening ceremony on July 14, 2028. Whether she qualifies or not, she'll be there with her kids, cheering on the next generation.

If successful, her appearance would mark a 24-year span between her first Olympic medal and her final competition, a testament to longevity in a sport that typically peaks in an athlete's twenties. Felix is rewriting the rules about what's possible for mothers, for veterans, and for anyone who wants to try something audacious.

However it turns out, she's already won by showing her children that dreams don't have expiration dates.