Sometimes, all the accolades in the world can’t ensure that the final run of an athlete gets the attention it deserves. For America’s most decorated runner Allyson Felix, her decision to step away from the sport in 2022 ended in a low, and fans still seem to be having a hard time coming to terms with it. With Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce looking to go all out for one last ride, memories of Felix’s retirement are once again resurfacing.
While Fraser-Pryce’s countrymen are already seating her on the highest pedestal, Americans can’t cope with the fact that the 7-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson never got a similar send-off.
Jamaican’s high regard for their athletes reignites the Allyson Felix debate
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In a recent post on X by Citius Mag, Jamaican track and field coach Reynaldo Walcott talked about his journey, coaching two of the country’s top performers. Straight off the bat, Walcott confesses that female sprinters rarely get the recognition they deserve.
🗣️ "I hope that before Shelly-Ann retires, before Elaine retires, maybe something magical can happen so that they can be on that same level that I think they deserve to be on."
🇯🇲 Elite Performance Track Club coach Reynaldo Walcott spoke with us in Jamaica about what it's like… pic.twitter.com/l4OkJ1wKtG
— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) March 26, 2024
Walcott further said that it’s a “weird phenomenon” to see American athletes come and beat the greatest stars from Jamaica to achieve elite status, while the latter flock of stars remains in the shadows forever. To make sure something like this doesn’t happen to his athletes, Reynold stated: “I hope that before Shelly-Ann retires, before Elaine retires, maybe something magical can happen so that they can be on that same level that I think they deserve to be on.” For America’s prodigal daughter, the backing for her final lap wasn’t the same.
After an almost two-decade-spanning career and over 30 medals in both the Olympics and World Championships, Allyson Felix retired in 2022. Her final run brought her a bronze despite being 36, and she claimed that she looked forward to the next chapter of her life as an advocate for black athletes’ rights. But her followers continued to believe she was wrong.
Fans still reeling from the saddening end to Felix’s illustrious career
With Walcott’s recent interview coming to the fore, fans have once again taken to social media to highlight how Allyson Felix deserved more to mark her retirement.
One fan reshared the original post and recalled how Allyson Felix never got a proper send off
One of the issue is that they do not get enough recognition because they are not controversial like Ms. Richardson. The United States had Allyson Felix competing for twenty consecutive seasons and she did not even get a proper send off. https://t.co/8rkYQVm4O0
— Kemal Forde (@kemal_e_forde) March 26, 2024
One fan seemed to bask in the dreams of an alternate scenario where Allyson got what she should’ve and more.
A proper send off Allyson: her final season was her send off which she ended as a CEO of her own shoe & apparel company & a surprise gold relay medal she wasn't pose to get. Don't SFP have statues in her honor in J🇯🇲? Yall track stars are like Hollywood celebrities there, yes?
— 🔥L♌E🦁O♌ Bro🔥 (@850famuman) March 26, 2024
Another comment went on to remind how Felix was treated for her pregnancy, despite having brought so many honors to the country.
& such brand treated her like ish when she got pregnant but had her on all the training about equality blah blah videos which we showed new staff all the time. Also SFP wasn’t on any of them despite all her accolades!
— trendz_spotter (@trendz_spotter) March 26, 2024
However, Bruce thinks Allyson was hailed just right by her own community, while the larger world stayed ignorant of her feats.
SAFP and ETH get enough "recognition" – they don't get as much "attention" as Sha'Carri outside of T&F, for the right reasons.
IMO, Allyson got a proper send-off within T&F – but that's not big enough to have us feel that she got her due – and it likely won't for SAFP & ETH too.— Bruce Delahorne (@bdelahorne) March 26, 2024
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“Well Said Coach.“, said Jamaican sprinter Donnavan Thomas, and it looks like the popular opinion is quite the same.
Well Said Coach. Elaine Thompson Herah and Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce does not get the recognition they deserve
— DONNAVAN THOMAS 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲 (@Track_jamaica) March 26, 2024
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What do you think Allyson Felix should have received after her final sprint? Tell us your take on the matter in the comments.
Read more: Months After Injury, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Goes All-Out to Mark Final Run at Paris Olympics