U.S. Olympic champion Allyson Felix, 35, posed for a photo that showed off 9 Olympic medals—and one prominent C-section scar. 
Felix, who is the most decorated American track-and-field woman athlete of all time, took to Instagram to announce the launch of her lifestyle brand, Saysh.
She detailed the journey she’s taken as a runner, mother, and entrepreneur since speaking out publicly against Nike’s lack of maternity protections.
‘The world doesn’t need more shoes, but the world does need to see women wholly and meet them right where they are,’ she wrote.
In May 2019, Felix publicly spoke out in a NY Times op-ed about Nike’s treatment of her during a life-threatening pregnancy in 2018. ‘If we have children, we risk pay cuts from our sponsors during pregnancy,’ she wrote in the explosive article.
Felix further alleged that Nike refused to contractually guarantee that she wouldn’t face punishment if her performance in the time around childbirth.
Later that year, Nike announced a new maternity policy for its sponsored athletes. Its actions followed public testimony from other Olympic runners, including Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher.
Felix has since struck a different sponsorship deal with Athleta and will be making her 5th appearance at the Olympics this month in Tokyo.
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