Allyson Felix Says Motherhood Has Given Her 'Different Drive' as She Cruises Into 400m Semifinal

Allyson Felix.Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images The 35-year-old athlete welcomed her first child, daughter Camryn, in November 2018. “It’s changed everything,” she told PEOPLE while speaking to reporters after her qualifying race in the 400m in Tokyo on Tuesday. “It’s given me a different drive.” When Camryn was born in 2018, Felix had been suffering from preeclampsia and had to undergo an emergency C-section at only 32 weeks pregnant. Doctors told the track star that she and her daughter would have died had she not been able to deliver that exact day.

Allyson Felix Says She Hopes People Give Fellow Runner Sha'Carri Richardson the 'Support She Needs'

Allyson Felixis sending her support toSha’Carri Richardson, and hoping others are doing the same. Smith, an ESPN commentator, asked Felix to send the 21-year-old sprinter a message in light of “what she endured” both before and after what would have been her first Olympics. “I know that she’s obviously been through so much and I hope that she’s just supported. I hope people rally around her,” Felix responded. “Obviously she has a great personality and she’s brought a lot of attention to the sport and I think she’ll be in the sport for a very long time.

Allyson Felix Says the Pandemic Forced Her to 'Get Creative' About Training for the Olympics

Allyson Felix.Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Allyson Felixhas been staying flexible when it comes to finding ways to keep up her training regimen amid theCOVID-19 pandemic. While chatting with PEOPLE to promote her partnership withBoseand theirBose Frames Tempo, the 35-year-old sprinter says that the ongoing health crisis has altered how she trains and forced her to think outside of the box ahead of the 2020Summer Olympics, which wererescheduledto July and August 2021.

Allyson Felix Says Tokyo Olympic Games Will Be Her Last — So She Wants 'to Go Out Really Strong'

“This is it,” Felix, 33, tells PEOPLE. “I feel good with it because I feel like I’m just really happy with the place I’m at right now in life. I don’t think I ever would’ve thought that I would have had a child, or been in the sport this long in general. I feel like I just want to go out really strong, at my best. It’s been really a challenging year, but an exciting future to look forward to.

Allyson Felix Secures Spot on Team USA at Olympic Trials: 'It Has Been a Fight to Get Here'

Allyson Felix.Photo: Getty Allyson Felixhas done it for a fifth time! The nine-time Olympic medalist just scored a spot on Team USA at the2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. The track and field Olympic trials kicked off on June 18 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Felix, 35, competed in the 400m trial finals on Sunday, finishing in second place behind Quanera Hayes and locking in her spot in Tokyo. Allyson Felix.Getty