How This Olympic Champ Turned Motherhood Into a Movement for Women’s Rights in Sports

Published: April 13, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix doesn’t regret stepping away from track and field to focus on being a mom, but it wasn’t easy.

“I knew I always wanted to become a mother at some point, and I also had this career that I loved, and that was, you know, it was a physical career,” Felix shared on the “What Matters with Liz” podcast. “So, I wasn’t sure when that would happen for me. Also, at the same time, I saw a lot of friends, colleagues, teammates struggle through motherhood as athletes. And so, I felt like, okay, well, if I accomplished enough, maybe I wouldn’t face those same challenges. And so I waited until I had accomplished a lot. I was a six-time gold medalist. I felt like I was really at a good place to take this on…as in start a family.”

She eventually found a year that made sense to start a family as the timing between pursing another Olympics and racing in the World Championships doesn’t offer “too much wiggle room.”

At the same time, she was also renegotiating her contract with Nike, who she’d been with for nearly a decade. They offered her 70% less than what she previously made, and they didn’t even know she was pregnant yet.

“I think they felt I was older. There was a new crop of younger athletes coming up, and so that’s where it began,” Felix explained. “For me, that was really scary because I already had this fear of what could happen and then I got that.”

“And so, I did what a lot of my friends had done before. And so once I became pregnant and I was still going through this really bad renegotiation, I hid my pregnancy and I started to train in the dark,” the track and field athlete revealed.

Felix so badly wanted to embrace all the joy that come with expecting a baby, but she couldn’t because she worried about her Nike contract.

“I wanted this, and you have the thoughts of like what it’s like to have the little bump and all the things — the showers — and I didn’t get to do any of it. I stayed isolated in my house,” Felix continued. “When I did have to go out, I wore baggy clothes.”

“I was also doing this because I didn’t have anything on paper, and so [Nike] had offered me the 70% less, but I knew that if I disclosed my pregnancy at that time, that even that 70% would most likely go away for no reason,” she explained. “So I continued on, and over the course of these negotiations, I shifted my focus from one around the salary to asking for maternal protections.”

Felix and her husband Kenneth Ferguson welcomed daughter Camryn in 2018. They added son Kenneth Maurice Ferguson III, who they call “Trey,” to their family in 2024.

The birth of her daughter urged Felix to become a voice for other female athletes who want to be moms without fearing for their livelihoods.

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According to PEOPLE, Felix publicly split from Nike in 2019 after she underwent an emergency c-section to save her and Camryn’s lives. The brand was pressuring her to return to training as soon as possible post pregnancy, but after Felix went public with how Nike treated her, the company change their maternity policies.

“…I think my daughter gave me the courage to do that,” Felix told reporters in 2021. “But I think that was really the thing, that this has been going on for far too long. And I hope that we’re really changing things.”

She started her shoe company Saysh in response as well.

“Allyson’s voice sparked change, leading to enhanced maternity rights and fairer treatment for female athletes. This advocacy is why Saysh exists—founded by Allyson and Wes to champion women’s specific needs. Saysh sneakers are crafted with our unique femiformityFIT technology, which embodies our commitment to a future where women’s footwear is as distinct and deserving as their journeys,” the website reads.

Ultimately, Felix turned her personal sacrifice into a powerful movement, redefining motherhood in sports and paving the way for stronger protections and opportunities for female athletes everywhere.

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