Most Decorated Track and Field Olympian; Co-Founder and President, Saysh
Most Decorated Track and Field Olympian; Co-Founder and President, Saysh
Allyson Felix reigns as the most decorated American Track & Field Olympian of all time. She officially retired from her competitive running career in the summer of 2022 with a mind-blowing thirty-one global medals across the Olympics and World Championships, and titles as both a World Record Holder and a Master’s World Record Holder.
In 2020, Felix broke records after winning her bronze and gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics - her fifth and final Olympic games. She continued to make history during the games, by sporting racing spikes created by her company – lifestyle and footwear brand, Saysh – becoming the first Track & Field athlete to do so. Publicly launched post-Games in June 2021, Saysh not only aims to create an encouraging and supportive community for women, but it also designs and manufactures athletic-inspired footwear made for and by women, unlike most brands, whose shoes are created based on men’s feet and footwear. Running in her own spikes on the largest stage in the world, Felix exemplified that she is about more than just medals – she was running for change, equity, and acceptance for women and girls everywhere. In keeping with its mission to empower and serve women, Saysh sought out women-led, women-funded partners for the brand’s Series A fundraising round, which brought in $8 million and included the Gap Inc.-owned Athleta brand. Current products include the Saysh One and The Felix Runner. Past launches have included the Saysh Slide and the Saysh Two and Scarf along with various limited edition collabs of the Saysh One. Saysh is sold online and at various retailers including Kith, Footlocker, and Athleta.
Off the track, Felix is a fierce advocate for maternity rights for all women. In 2019, she wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times that called out Nike, her former sponsor, for not providing guaranteed protections for pregnant athletes and new moms. (Felix gave birth to her daughter Camryn in 2018.) The public reaction to the piece put pregnancy discrimination in athletics in the spotlight, and the practice was heavily criticized. More female athletes came to Felix’s side, offering up their stories. During the 2020 Olympics, Felix created the Power of She Fund: Child Care Grant in partnership with Athleta – a fund to assist mom-athletes with childcare while competing at the games.
Felix has always been passionate about children and serves as a board member of the Right To Play, hoping to raise awareness for underserved children in developing regions.