Olympic track and field runner, Allyson Felix, has broken her tie with Usain Bolt for most medals in World Championship history, according to NBC Sports.
12 WORLD TITLES. @allysonfelix officially holds the record for the most world titles after giving birth 10 months ago. #WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/68kKjfb0yw
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) September 29, 2019
Felix earned her tie-breaking medal on Saturday, when she ran in the first-ever mixed-gender 4x400m relay race in the Doha World Athletics Championships—the event will make its Olympic debut next year in Tokyo.
The U.S. quartet—comprised of Wil London III, Felix, Courtney Okolo, and Michael Cherry—ran the event in 3:09.34, beating Jamaica by 2.44 seconds. Bahrain took third place.
The 33-year-old now holds a total of 12 gold medals.
Felix ran the second leg of the relay in 50.4 seconds. The victory also marked her first gold medal win as a mother.
“So special, to have my daughter here watching means the world to me. It’s been a crazy year for me,” the 33-year-old told NBC Sports.
“Making it through this year with so much going on, I think it’s going to make next year feel a lot easier,” she said in interviews on Sunday. She added that this short season was “a stepping stone.”
The Los Angeles native is the most decorated track and field Olympian, with nine gold medals in only four games. She also holds the record for overall medals in world championship competitions, male or female, with 17 medals. She is expected to compete in Tokyo next year, breaking Michael Johnson’s record as the oldest athlete to compete in the 400m.
Felix made headlines earlier this year when she criticized Nike, one of her former sponsors, for not wanting to pay her properly if and when she became pregnant.
She is one of many female athletes, including Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher, to condemn Nike’s maternity rights. Nike responded by changing its contract policies. Felix has since signed a sponsorship contract with Athleta.
