By Mallory Mattingly
Track and field star Allyson Felix plans to return to the track for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, at which time the athlete will be 42.
“So many of us have been told not to do the big, bold thing,” she told TIME Magazine. “You know, at this age, I should probably be staying home and taking care of my kids, doing all that. And just, why not? Let’s flip it on its head. Let’s go after the thing. Let’s be vulnerable.”
Felix, who has already secured 11 Olympic medals, seven of which are gold, is motivated by the fact that the 2028 Olympics will be in her “hometown” of Los Angeles.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime homecoming,” she said, recalling when she pitched the idea to her brother and business partner, Wes Felix. “And it is the only thing powerful enough to pull me back.”
Related: How Motherhood Inspired Allyson Felix to Win Historic 11th Olympic Medal
“I felt there was a zero percent chance that’s what she was going to say,” Wes said. “I could have thought of a million things before she said that.”
Felix reflected on her plans in a Monday Instagram post, asking, “What if there’s still more in us?”
“In a million years…I never thought I’d return. And somehow here I am – reaching for LA 2028, on my own terms,” she wrote in the post. “I’m not here trying to relive who I was. I’m deeply proud of everything I’ve done. This is something different – a question that keeps pulling me in. What is still humanly possible at this age?”
“The world tells women that after 40, we should slow down, be smaller, quieter and satisfied. But this is my love story with LA – the city that raised me…calling me to return to myself in a new way,” she continued. “It’s scary. It’s exciting. The most vulnerable I’ve ever been. And I don’t know how it ends.”
Felix concluded with this: “What is success isn’t defined by the outcome – but by the courage it takes to try? What if chasing audacious dreams at any age is the bravest thing we do?”
She joins an impressive list of athletes who kept pushing themselves and competing after turning 40. The list includes stars like LeBron James, Lindsey Vonn and Tom Brady, according to PEOPLE.
As the now 40-year-old aspires to chase her dreams of returning to the track, Felix is certain to inspire her fans to pursue their goals, too, no matter their age.
Read Next: How This US Track Star Supports Moms at Olympics
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