Retired Allyson Felix Has a Message for Athletes Headed to 2024 Olympic Trials

The Paris games will be the first Olympics that she hasn’t participated in since 2004.

Allyson Felix / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

For the first time since 2004, American Olympian Allyson Felix won’t be toeing the line at the Olympics this year. The five-time Olympian and 11-time Olympic medalist retired from professional track and field in 2022, making the Tokyo Games her final experience representing the U.S. on the international stage.

Now, with the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in full swing, she’s contending with the emotions tied to that decision. “It feels so strange not to be running at Olympic Trials!” she reflected in an Instagram post, featuring fierce photos from her storied pro career. “A weird mix of every emotion from gratitude to grief. So many memories over the 20 years I competed. There is nothing like giving everything you have to make Team USA.”

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But it’s not all nostalgia for the incredible athlete. She’s likewise excited to experience the games from a new perspective, she told Sports Illustrated in a recent interview. “I feel like I’ve never been able to truly enjoy them because I’ve been so head down and just doing my thing,” she said. “And so I’m excited to just support other athletes competing and to take it in.” 

For her, that support takes the form of offering advice to those athletes filling her shoes and taking part in the games this summer. “A little pro tip for everyone putting it all on the line,” she wrote on Instagram. “Dreams will come true and hearts will be broken. This moment doesn’t define you, it’s simply part of your journey.”

Though Felix won’t be on the track this year, she will—no doubt—be watching and supporting those athletes following in her footsteps.