“There are so many shared feelings of being a young athlete in this conversation” - Allyson Felix on her interview with Britton Wilson
Legendary track and field athlete, Allyson Felix, was extremely impressed after she interacted with 22-year-old athlete Britton Wilson on September 26. The young athlete recently made it to the list of six student-athletes who were named the 2023 Glamour College Women of the Year.
A master’s student in sociology from the University of Arkansas, Wilson has perfectly been balancing academics with collegiate athletics. She specializes in the 400m and 400m hurdles races and began her athletic journey in grade eight, emerging as a record-breaking high school athlete.
Moreover, she received the opportunity to make her world championship debut in 2022 where she finished fifth in the 400 m hurdles. In fact, in 2023, Wilson became the North American indoor record holder for the 400 m dash with a time of 49.48 seconds.
At this year’s world championship, she was also a part of the USA’s gold medal-winning team in the 4x400m relay race.
Behind her promising athletic career, Britton Wilson has long battled anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and body dysmorphia. So, to help others combat such issues, she also advocates for women’s mental health in sports.
Sharing similar beliefs and narratives as Wilson, retired athlete Allyson Felix was the perfect personality to interview the young athlete. On interacting with the young mind, the 37-year-old was impressed with her thought process. In fact, she shared an answer to Wilson’s question on her Instagram story and captioned it:
“There are so many shared feelings of being a young athlete in this conversation"
In the interview, Felix asked Wilson how she celebrated her small and big wins. The 22-year-old answered that she would always be hard on herself no matter how well she performed and defined it as a ‘double-edged sword’.
However, Wilson stated that she changed this mindset last season. The Virginia-born athlete further expressed:
“Being hard on yourself keeps that drive and determination alive, but it also means tearing yourself down at times. “
She eventually learned that having self-compassion and celebrating the big and small wins of her life was a crucial aspect.
Allyson Felix revolutionized policies for women athletes
In 2017, Allyson Felix’s contract with sportswear brand Nike had expired and reuired her to negotiate a new deal while she was pregnant. The brand was allegedly not supportive of the athlete’s pregnancy and offered her a 70% pay cut. Moreover, she was forced to return to training within six months of her pregnancy.
Felix realized the unfair treatment that women in sporys were receiving and decided to raise her voice against it. Hence, in 2019, she parted from the brand and spoke up about the issue in the media.
Later on, Nike changed its policy ensuring that female athletes won't be “adversely impacted financially for pregnancy” for 18 months.