She retired. She raised two kids. She built a brand. And now, Allyson Felix is lacing up her spikes again — at age 40 — with her sights firmly set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Nobody saw this coming. And honestly? That’s exactly the point.
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Allyson Felix: The Return Nobody Expected
Felix officially broke the news to TIME magazine, announcing what she’s calling “Project Six” — a bid to compete in her sixth Olympic Games, right in her hometown of Los Angeles.
She retired after the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, where she signed off with a gold in the women’s 4x400m relay and a bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay. For nearly four years, the track world assumed her story was complete. It wasn’t.
Her goal is to qualify through the 2028 US trials and earn a spot on the long-distance relay team — a task she fully acknowledges won’t be easy.
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Allyson Felix — By the Numbers
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Age at LA28 Olympics | 40 |
| Olympic Gold Medals | 7 |
| Olympic Medals (Total) | 11 (7G, 3S, 1B) |
| World Championship Golds | 14 |
| Olympics Competed In | 5 (Athens to Tokyo) |
| Coach | Bobby Kersee |
| Return to Training | October 2026 |
| First Competition Back | Sometime in 2027 |
“A Live Experiment on Human Potential”
That’s how Felix herself described this comeback — and it’s the perfect framing. No American sprinter has ever competed at the Olympics at age 40. But as Allyson Felix herself puts it, that fact doesn’t make it impossible — it just means no one has done it yet.
Inspired by Tom Brady, LeBron James, and Lindsey Vonn defying age at the top of their sports, Felix is determined to add her name to that list. But this is also about something more personal — proving that women at 40 don’t have to shrink their ambitions.
She told TIME: “Many of us have been told not to do something big and bold. At this age, I should probably be at home. But why not? Let’s go for it.”
She’s also eager to explore legal recovery tools — saunas, infrared technology, pool training, and performance supplements — something she avoided throughout her career out of caution around anti-doping regulations.
And critically, she’s doing this entirely on her own terms. She won’t be a fixture on the circuit — her seven-year-old daughter Camryn and two-year-old son Trey come first. Felix is also a member of the LA28 Organizing Committee’s Athletes’ Commission, keeping her deeply connected to the Games she wants to run in.
Stay updated on all things LA28 Olympics and athletics at TechnoSports.
FAQs
Q: Has any American sprinter ever competed in the Olympics at age 40?
No — if Felix qualifies for LA28, she would become the first American sprinter ever to compete at the Olympics at that age, making history once again.
Q: When will Allyson Felix return to competitive track and field?
Felix plans to resume training in October 2026 under coach Bobby Kersee, with her first competitive appearance expected sometime in 2027 ahead of the 2028 US Olympic Trials.
