By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -American athletes at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 will have the rare opportunity to compete at an Olympics on home soil and those considering retirement may not be able to resist sticking around for the chance, Olympic legend Allyson Felix said.
Felix, the most decorated female track and field athlete of all time, has few regrets about an Olympic career that spanned five Games but said never getting the chance to lace up her spikes in the U.S. is one.
“What I would have loved most is to have a home Games,” Felix, an L.A. native and now an LA28 board member, told Reuters.
“We’ve worked really hard to bring the Games back to L.A. and more than anything, I’m excited the athletes have this opportunity to be on full display in America. That’s huge.
“I’m excited for Angelinos and the rest of the world too. We get to welcome them in and they get to see the Games up close.”
Gymnast Simone Biles said last week she had not yet decided whether to compete in what would be her fourth Games as she picked up her Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award in Madrid.
Seven-time Olympic champion Biles saw first-hand the passionate reception French gymnasts received every time they were announced at the Bercy Arena during last year’s Paris Games and it remains to be seen if the prospect of hearing roars of “USA! USA!” will entice her to return.
Felix said that vision has undeniable appeal to all potential Team USA athletes.
“If you can stick around to be involved in some capacity, you can’t pass that up,” Felix said.
Felix was all smiles at a recent event with the Los Angeles Jets where she surprised members of the venerable youth track and field club with the children’s snack food Danimals as part of a promotional campaign.
“The Jets are such a powerhouse and a staple in the community and looking at these kids it’s interesting because beyond ’28, they are going to be the ones who are out there,” she said.
The mother of two has been a trailblazer for women in sports and said she saw glimpses of her younger self in the fresh-faced sprinters she lined up against.
“We did a little relay and they wanted to race me for real,” said Felix, who won 11 Olympic medals including seven golds.
“I love to see that because yeah, you should!”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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