The last medal is a bronze one.
Allyson Felix, the most successful, the greatest athlete of the present, said goodbye to her enthusiastic audience at the World Championships in Eugene (Oregon), her tenth, on Friday evening with the nineteenth World Championship medal of her career.
Michael Reinsch
Correspondent for sports in Berlin.
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When Elija Godwin, the starter of the favorite American mixed 4x400m relay, sent her into the second round with a clear lead, she seemed as light-footed as ever.
But on the first long straight, which seemed to be getting longer and longer, the age of 36 and Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic caught up with her.
The last meters are too long
Vernon Norwood brought the relay, Olympic and World Champion from Doha 2019, back in front, then the last 400 meters were too long for Kennedy Simon.
Just before the finish, Fiordaliza Cofil of the Dominican Republic and anchor of the Netherlands, hurdler Femke Bol passed her.
Disappointment and admiration for Allyson Felix, who may not be forever young, were balanced.
The Dominican Republic's 3:09.82 was the world best for the year.
The German mixed relay with Patrick Schneider, Corinna Schwab, Marvin Schlegel and Alica Schmidt failed to qualify for the final.
"The circle closes"
"It's been an incredible journey," Felix said before the race about her career, which ended with this race: "There were a lot of ups and downs. I love the sport so much.
He broke my heart so many times, but there were also so many happy moments.
The circle closes with this World Cup at home.” She will miss the sport, but she cannot imagine a better farewell than this one, with a heart full of gratitude.
Over 200 and over 400 meters, Allyson Felix became world champion in her more than two-decade career, under 18 even over 100 meters.
That was in Debrecen in 2001.
She won the gold medal in the 200 meters at the 2012 London Olympics.
Above all, the elegant runner from California has proven herself as a team athlete in athletics, which is characterized by individualists.
She won six of her seven Olympic victories in relays.
Her first major international success was winning the silver medal in the 200 meters at the 2004 Athens Summer Games;
she was eighteen years old.
At the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, she finished third in the 400m at age 35 and won the 4x400m relay.
With eleven Olympic medals, she surpasses Carl Lewis, who has ten.
With twelve world champion titles, she surpasses Usain Bolt;
he comes to eleven.
Pioneer of social progress
At least as important as the phenomenal sporting achievements is what the mother of the almost four-year-old Camryn, as an activist and entrepreneur, initiated in terms of sport-political and social progress.
She stood up against sponsors who punished female athletes with a pay cut for getting pregnant.
Sprinter Noah Lyles enthused at the press conference of the American team – sponsored by Nike – how she, a young, black woman, took on the sporting goods giant Nike alone, earning the necessary respect from all over the world.
For the administration of Barack Obama she promoted recreational sports and healthy eating.
Ever since her daughter had to be saved with a Caesarean section, the committed Christian has been campaigning for the rights of black women and against their above-average mortality during pregnancy and childbirth.
It organizes a childcare program for athletes, coaches and coaches in sports.
Two years after splitting from Nike, she launched an athletic shoe — "designed by women, for women" — called Saysh.
In 2020 and 2021, Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people.
That year, the University of Southern California, where she studied elementary school education, awarded her an honorary doctorate and, almost an even greater honor, had her give the commencement speech.
"I hope to be remembered as a strong competitor," she said. "Most importantly, I try to leave the sport better than I found it;
I support female athletes and women in general and I fight for more equality.”