EUGENE, OREGON - JUNE 20: Allyson Felix celebrates with her daughter Camryn after finishing second in the Women's 400 Meters Final on day three of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 20, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon.Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Olympic Gold Medalist Allyson Felix has a special bond with her young daughter, Camryn Ferguson. In 2018, Felix brought Camryn into the world via emergency C-section at 32 weeks. Immediately afterward, her newborn spent one month in the neonatal intensive care unit. During this time period, Felix struggled to maintain her mental health and found it tough to return to the one thing she loved the most, track and field.
Three years later, Camryn is a boisterous and engaging toddler watching her Mom compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Now 36 years old, Felix is one of the more veteran competitors in the field, but that does nothing to stop her. Camryn's mother shot out of the starting blocks and rallied to finish second in the 400-meter dash with a blazing time of 50.02 seconds. With her incredible performance on Monday, she will head to the Summer Olympic Games next month for the fifth time in her career.
"Man, it has been a fight to get here," Felix said.
"And one thing I know how to do is fight, so I just wanted to do that all the way home."
Waiting at the finish line, Camryn celebrated as her Mom hugged her. Then, the mother-daughter duo met with first-place finisher Quanera Hayes and her son. The two young kids hugged as their mothers celebrated their Olympic berth.
"I just wanted to really show her, no matter what, that you do things with character, integrity, and you don't give up," Felix added.
"And to me, whether that was winning, losing, no matter the outcome, I wanted to stay consistent with that. Having her as motivation through these past couple of years has just given me a whole new drive."
Felix's work in Eugene, Oregon is not done yet. She is set to compete in the 200-meter dash later this week. However, she will not be able to compete in both events due to conflicting Olympic schedules.
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