“I did not have shoes to wear in the Olympics" Allyson Felix makes admission on launching Saysh before Tokyo 2020

The seven-time Olympic gold medallist, Allyson Felix, was one of the top athletes during her prime. With her inspirational journey, she recently talked about how her shoe company came to life among other things.

Felix, who achieved exemplary feats during her illustrious career, is also a 14-time gold medalist at the World Championships. During the women's sports reception by “The Female Quotient” in Davos, Felix shared her uplifting journey and the limitations she had faced which led to creation of her footwear company, Saysh.

“When the contract came back, I realized that there was no tie to the time to maternity, to having a baby, to anything of that nature and they weren't ready to set that precedent for all female athletes and so I walked away. I found my voice. It was really incredible.” [from 11:39]

She further continued:

“I did not have shoes to wear in the Olympics. So, I looked a lot of places and I couldn't find anyone after that ordeal who would sponsor me. So, having a having a conversation with my brother, I was really venting to him and I was like, I can't believe I'm at this point in my career and I don't have any footwear sponsor and he was like, I think we should do this ourselves and I was like, 'you're crazy'. But the more I sat with it, it was like, no, we have the opportunity to be change makers.”

Allyson Felix also revealed how women athletes were “being pushed” out of the sport after having children. Now, Nike and other firms are offering women athletes “18 months of maternal protection”. Felix left the company and founded her own line of footwear in 2021.

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Olympic icon Allyson Felix reflected on her 'regimented' routine

Allyson Felix at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 - Day Nine - Source: Getty

Allyson Felix, who took part in five Olympic Games over the course of her career, talked about her routine, giving a glimpse into the daily grind of a champion athlete. During a segment with “TheSkinnyConfidential" in March 2024, the 39-year-old said:

“Very regimented. So I was training six days a week, right around five hours a day. Three were spent on the track, everything from warming up, the bulk of the workout, cooling down, stretching all of that stuff. I would take a break and then I would go the gym for couple of hours and then have a very regimented system there. Olympic lifts and body weight and all those things.”

Felix is a ten-time US national champion and a decorated athlete with more than 30 medals. She is regarded as one of the greatest athletes in the history of track and field. Her achievements were unprecedented, including her fight for maternal rights for female athletes.