Allyson Felix reveals the race that made her believe she could make a career as a professional

Allyson Felix was one of the most integral members of Team USA's track and field squad before her retirement. The California-born sprinter won 11 Olympic medals — seven gold, three silver, and one bronze.

After competing in five editions of the Olympics, Felix, the most successful Team USA track athlete in history, retired from the sport in 2022.

In an interview with Ebony Magazine in 2019, Felix was asked if there was a specific moment in her career that made her believe that she might be the best in the world. In response, the sprinter disclosed that a race she ran in Mexico while she was in high school gave her other confidence to become a professional athlete.

"Well, there was a race that I was running in Mexico City and I was the only high school athlete running against grown women. It was a professional race, but I ended up winning," she said.

"That was kind of a turning point for me where I felt like, “OK, I’m pretty good at this and there’s a possibility for this to be a career for me.” That was a defining moment for me," she added.

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Allyson Felix reacts to women's 200m finals at the 2009 World Championships

In a recent video posted on her Instagram account, Allyson Felix reacted to the women's 200m finals at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. She revealed that while she was 'super ready' to compete, there was a huge delay before the race due to heavy rain.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Felix won the silver medal in the 200m, a result she said she was not happy with. She was, however, glad to do better at the World Championships, where she clinched the gold, her third in the category at the World Championships.

The 37-year-old also heaped praise on her Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown, calling her the best starter ever. The two were going toe to toe in Berlin before Felix was able to take a commanding lead in the race.

The American sprinter stated that she knew the final 50m was her strength, giving her the extra push to cross the finish line first.

"If Veronica (Campbell-Brown) is in the race, I knew I had to bring my A game. It was fun to race against her and all the other woman that stepped up in the 200," Felix said on the Instagram video.

While Allyson won the race with a time of 22.02 seconds, Veronica (22.35 seconds) claimed the silver medal.