By Mallory Mattingly
Fourteen-time track and field world champion Allyson Felix joined the greatest athletes of all time following her induction into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
“The class is so incredible — Serena [Williams], Gabby [Douglas] and Kerri [Walsh Jennings], Anita DeFrantz — these legendary people that have provided so much inspiration to me, and so just to be with them and in their company is incredible, it’s humbling,” Felix said in an interview with GOOD MORNING AMERICA. “I’ve reflected on my journey in my career, and I feel just very blessed to be here.”
Felix is track and field’s most decorated female Olympic athlete, boasting 11 medals — seven of which are gold — from Games spanning from 2004-2021, USC reported.
During her speech on Saturday night, she described her Hall of Fame achievement as “surreal.” She then thanked all the other female athletes in her class, the first being Williams.
“Being a girl from LA, you have always been an inspiration for girls like me, and that hasn’t changed to this day. An inspiration in sports, business, and motherhood, and I just stand in awe,” Felix said of Williams.
The other 2025 class of inductees includes “Steve Cash (sled hockey), Gabby Douglas (artistic gymnastics), Anita DeFrantz (legend: rowing), Susan Hagel (Para archery, Para track and field, wheelchair basketball), Flo Hyman (legend: indoor volleyball), Kerri Walsh Jennings (beach volleyball), Mike Krzyzewski (coach: basketball), Phil Knight (special contributor: Nike founder), Bode Miller (alpine skiing), Marla Runyan (Para track and field), Serena Williams (tennis), the 2010 Four-man Bobsled Team, and the 2004 Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team,” per GOOD MORNING AMERICA.
Related: How Motherhood Inspired Allyson Felix to Win Historic 11th Olympic Medal
Reflecting on her career, Felix shared the race that stands out the most.
“For me, it’s the last — it’s just a culmination of everything, of all the hard work,” she explained. “In the end, so much of it was pushing for the medals, but it was actually like purpose and being a mother and all those things that when I got in the sport, I never would have dreamt of or imagined had the biggest impression on me. So I keep coming back to that final moment, and that’s the one that sticks with me.”
The most inspiring interaction from her Olympic career? Meeting the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant in 2008.
“He just casually strolled through, and I got to have the first time that I ever met him be this moment where you get to meet athletes that you’ve always admired,” Felix revealed. “To me, it was just like, this is what the Olympics is about, because he was in there really taking in all the things.”
“I got to know Kobe later on. He has that ability. He was so brilliant and made everyone feel special, but that was my first instance of it,” she added. “What a cool and unforgettable moment for me.”
Congratulations to Felix on her incredible career!
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