Sprinter Allyson Felix Reveals Plans for 2028 Olympics Comeback

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Allyson Felix hasn’t crossed the finish line quite yet. 

The most decorated track and field athlete ever, at age 40, has announced she’s coming out of retirement to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, four years after stepping away from the sport.

A major reason for Allyson’s decision is her desire to compete in her hometown. She told Time magazine in an April 27 interview that this opportunity is a unique and powerful draw, saying it’s “a once-in-a-lifetime homecoming” that motivated her return.

Last year, the Olympic gold medalist secretly started making plans to compete again. Her brother and business partner, Wes Felix, said he was completely surprised when she told him, admitting he didn’t think it was possible she’d make that announcement.

Allyson is now focused on her next challenge, and she’s motivated by athletes like Tom Brady, LeBron James, and Lindsey Vonn who continued competing at a high level into their 40s. In fact, Vonn recently hinted at a possible return to competition, even after a serious crash at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics in February.

Allyson shared that many people are often discouraged from pursuing ambitious goals. She pointed out that she’s at an age where society often expects mothers to prioritize childcare and stay home. But she challenges that expectation, encouraging people to instead embrace challenges, take risks, and be open about their feelings.

Allyson, a mother of seven-year-old Camryn and two-year-old Trey, and wife of Kenneth Ferguson, knows it will be challenging. However, she feels she’d regret not even attempting it.

Allyson understands some people might not agree with her choices, saying she can see why someone would question another person lingering for too long. She explains, ‘You might think, ‘What are they still doing here?’ and I get that.’

She acknowledged she’s past her prime at 40, and doesn’t pretend otherwise. She has a clear vision of what she wants to achieve and hopes others will understand and appreciate that.

The athlete competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, earning a bronze medal in the 400m race – her tenth Olympic medal overall. Although she retired after that, she admitted to feeling restless watching the 2024 Paris Games from the stands.

She described feeling a lot of different emotions at once, telling Time that she swung between excitement about being a spectator and missing the experience of actually playing. There were times she loved being in the stands, and other times she longed to be back in the game.

Now that the greatest track and field athlete in Team USA history is coming back, let’s take a look at some other unforgettable Olympic moments…

The Norwegian cross-country skier dominated the 2026 Olympics, winning six gold medals. This brought his total to eleven for his career, making him the Winter Olympics athlete with the most gold medals ever.

The American speed skater won the gold medal in the men’s 1000m race, and he broke the Olympic record with a time of 1 minute, 6.28 seconds.

(Days later, he set yet another Olympic speed skating record.)

The ski racer made history by winning an Olympic gold medal – a first for Brazil in the Winter Games, and for all of South America as well.

As a lifestyle and sports enthusiast, I was so inspired by the incredible Team USA athlete who just took silver in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe! What’s even more amazing is that she’s made history – she’s the first woman ever to win three medals in a row in that event. It’s a testament to her dedication and skill, and a truly inspiring moment!

She made history as the first woman to successfully land a cab double 1080 during the Olympic halfpipe final.

The 22-year-old is the first Black woman to play for Team USA women’s hockey at the Olympics. 

The cross-country skier is the first woman to represent Mexico in the sport at the Olympics. 

The U.S. curling team won the country’s first-ever silver medal in mixed doubles curling.

This athlete is the first woman from South Africa to compete in skeleton at the Olympic Games.

An American cross-country skier just won a silver medal, ending the United States’ 50-year wait for a medal in the men’s sprint classical race.

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2026-04-27 23:18