It’s not every day that a highly decorated Olympian decides to come out of retirement and chase down another Olympic medal on the other side of 40 years old. So it’s quite remarkable that one Olympian in particular, one who has made history already for the United States, announced a comeback on April 27.
It goes without saying that athletes in their 40s face a special kind of difficulty. Not only are they competing against peers who are younger than them, but they are also forced to go head-to-head against Father Time. However, with GOATs like Tom Brady and LeBron James competing at a high level after they turned 40, this Olympian should feel a bit hopeful.
Allyson Felix to Compete for Spot in 2028 Olympics
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
When track star Allyson Felix retired at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (the Games were postponed a year due to the COVID pandemic), she did so as the most-decorated female track and field athlete of the Games, and the most-decorated track and field athlete period in the US, eclipsing the legendary Carl Lewis with 11 medals overall. So she certainly has nothing to prove to the world.
However, she announced in a Time story on April 27 that she’s coming out of retirement with hopes of competing at the 2028 Summer Olympics. It would be rather special for her, considering Los Angeles, the host city, is her hometown. Never having been able to win a medal in front of “hometown fans,” Felix herself states in the article, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime homecoming, and it is the only thing powerful enough to pull me back.”
It also appears that Felix is being quite realistic about the prospects of her competing in 2028. While she’s 40 now, come the LA Olympics, she’ll be almost 42. She notes, “I totally get the person who sticks around too long, and you’re like, ‘What are they doing?’ I know, at 40, I am not at my peak. I have no illusions about that. I’m very clear in what it is and what I want to see. And so I hope it's seen that way.” She later comments, “I would probably be upset at myself if I just didn't give it a try.”
Would Allyson Felix Be the Oldest to Run in the Olympic Games?
The short answer to that is no. An American marathoner named Abdi Abdirahman competed in the Tokyo Games when he was 44 years old. In terms of medaling, British speedwalker Tebbs Lloyd Johnson was 48 years old at the 1948 Olympics when he won a bronze medal.
Considering Felix specializes in the 200 and 400 (although she’s been on two gold medal-winning 4x100m teams), let’s look at sprinter Merlene Ottey. She competed for Jamaica in the 100m at the 2000 Sydney Games at 40 and won the bronze. Then, at 44, Ottey reached the semi-finals of the 100m at the 2004 Games, competing for Slovenia. So while Felix won’t make history as the oldest runner at an Olympics, she could potentially make history still as the oldest female to win a track and field medal. I know I certainly will be cheering for her and rooting for the best.
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