'I Got Pregnant, They Cut My Contract by 70%'-American Sprint Legend Reveals Fight Against Gender Bias in Sports

Allyson Felix has shared her journey of resilience after facing career-shaking challenges, shedding light on motherhood, contracts, and athlete struggles.

When Olympic champion Allyson Felix became pregnant, Nike – her main sponsor – offered her a 70% pay cut. They told her to "know her place and just run..

But she did not give up as her inspiring life story was published by "Time" magazine tells it all.

Allyson Still Hears the Screams

Allyson Felix still hears the screams. In late 2018, the six-time Olympic champion sat in the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital near Detroit, watching her newborn daughter fight for her life. Camryn, born prematurely at 32 weeks, was hooked up to monitors; alarms would blare every time doctors had to stimulate her breathing.

But as terrifying as those alarms were, what still haunts Felix are the cries of a mother from another part of the ward – piercing wails that would not stop. Nurses rushed to close the door to spare her. Allyson still does not know what happened to that woman's baby, but she could not shake the thought of the worst. "This could happen to my Camryn," she thought.

Up to that point, Felix had planned to return to the track and add more medals to her record. But then, the most decorated American track and field athlete of all time felt further than ever from her goal. "I just remember thinking – I don't know if I'll ever come back. I don't know if I can," Felix says.

Operating on Four Hours of Sleep

Two years later, Allyson is training for the Tokyo Olympics, which will be the fifth for the 35-year-old athlete. Camryn, now a two-year-old, is healthy and attending daycare. But she's still a two-year-old.

That meant she struggled to sleep until midnight the previous night, instead of falling asleep at 8 PM. So Felix, just weeks before the qualifiers, is functioning on four hours of sleep.

"I think she senses that the qualifiers are approaching or something. It's like she won't let me breathe," she says with a smile.

It is a feeling familiar to all parents, but the physical demands of her profession impose a burden most will never experience. Yet, Felix has managed to balance it all – and return to the Olympics, now with a mission that extends beyond the track itself.

For most of her career, she was "in her lane" – she believed her job was simply to win medals and rarely spoke publicly about social issues.

"I always thought I shouldn't say too much. Everything had to be neatly packaged. That was constantly on my mind. But that's not real," she says.

Complications, Preeclampsia

Especially after everything she went through during pregnancy. Felix developed preeclampsia – a condition of high blood pressure and delivery complications, more common in African American women, which contributed to Camryn's premature birth.

Although everything ultimately ended well, the vast racial disparities in maternal mortality rates in America could have shown a different outcome: a 2019 CDC study found that a Black woman with a college degree was 5.2 times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than a white woman with the same education. That year, Felix testified before Congress:

We must provide greater support to women of color during pregnancy. Research shows that racial bias in the healthcare system means doctors spend less time with Black mothers, underestimate their pain, ignore symptoms, and dismiss complaints.

The Problem with Nike

Then she went a step further: in an op-ed for The New York Times, she accused Nike, her main sponsor at the time, of penalizing her and other pregnant athletes during contract negotiations. It was a risky move – she could have lost her main source of income and been sidelined from major competitions.

She soon left Nike and signed with the brand "Athleta," becoming their first sponsored athlete, which also opened the door for Simone Biles to do the same in April. In June 2021, she launched her own brand of sneakers and athletic gear – Saysh. Instead of following corporate rules, Felix took control of her career – and her legacy.

Another medal in Tokyo would make her the most decorated track and field athlete in Olympic history. But her impact already transcends records.

After she called out Nike, the company expanded financial protection for pregnant athletes and new mothers. British sprinter Bianca Williams thanked her, saying: "Without her, I wouldn't be where I am. I'm grateful she spoke up, because she changed the lives of many women."

Although she won golds in relays, in individual disciplines she long faced disappointments – from silver in Athens and Beijing, to finally winning gold in London in 2012.

In Rio 2016, she suffered a painful defeat when Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo beat her with a dive across the finish line. That's why she decided to continue towards Tokyo.

But then complications began – negotiations with Nike, pregnancy, hiding her belly during dawn training, limiting celebrations, and fear of losing financial security. "It was isolating and lonely. I felt like I was never really pregnant," Felix admits.

Nike's Shameful Move

A few days after her baby shower, preeclampsia was diagnosed, and an emergency C-section was scheduled. Her brother Wes says he boarded the plane to Michigan thinking he might be going to his sister's funeral. Camryn was born on November 28, 2018, seven weeks premature, weighing barely three pounds. She spent a month in the hospital before going home.

Within six weeks, Felix was back to training, but her recovery was slower than expected. Nike refused to include protection for pregnant athletes in her contract. At the same time, they asked her to participate in a campaign about "women's empowerment." "My stomach turned. It was insulting and completely missed the mark," Felix says. That's when she decided to speak out.

Three months later, Nike changed its policy and guaranteed athletes protection from contract reductions for 18 months around pregnancy. But for Felix, it was too late – she had already signed with Athleta and at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, she won golds number 12 and 13 – her first as a mother.

"I Stayed Silent for Too Long"

By launching Saysh, she raised three million dollars in investments and created a brand focused on women. Her shoes are designed for women's feet, and customers also get access to a community and content.

At the Tokyo Olympics, she ran in her own spikes. The pandemic closed stadiums, so she trained everywhere – on streets, grassy areas, and even locked on the track, until her coach Bobby Kersee took out pliers and cut the fence.

Balancing motherhood, business, and training was exhausting, but it strengthened her. This time, she isno longer afraid to speak up – even against the International Olympic Committee for banning protests. "There are serious problems in the world, and it is not in the Olympic spirit to be censored," she says.

Running is often solitary, but for Felix, solitude means freedom. "I stayed silent for too long. I almost believed I had nothing to offer. But when you speak your truth – on the other side of that fear is freedom," she concluded.