Allyson Felix turned in quite the accomplishment 10 months after giving birth to her daughter. At the IAAF World Championships in Qatar this week, Felix participated in the mixed-gender 4x400 meter relay and helped Team USA win a gold medal.
In doing so, Felix became the first athlete to win 12 gold medals at the world championships. Usain Bolt previously held the record with 11 gold medals.
Felix ran the second leg and was able to build up a sizable enough lead for Team USA. Teammates Courtney Okolo and Michael Cherry finished up the race to give the American the easy gold medal.
This is a huge turn of events for Felix, who has gone through a lot over the past year. Felix gave birth to her daughter, Camryn, who was born premature in November of 2018. During the relay event this week, her husband and daughter were in the stands.
"It was really special," Felix told NBC Sports after the race. "It's been a crazy year for me, so just to be here, to be running with this great team, I just feel so blessed."
She said she's still "got a ways to go," adding, "I'm just grateful to be healthy, to be working my way back. It feels good."
Felix has won 25 gold medals over her career, including ones at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. This was her first gold medal since the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.
Felix will now look to continue her momentum in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
