Allyson Felix reflects on her 'full circle' moment after years of fighting for maternity protections in sports

• Allyson Felix is a nine-time Olympic medalist and one of the best USA Track & Field sprinters ever.
• Now a mother, Felix has found purpose in raising awareness of the inequities women face in sports.
• She told Insider about a moment with a teammate that underscored how "meaningful" her fight is.

Allyson Felix has made her name as one of the greatest sprinters in Olympics history.

But the 35-year-old USA Track & Field legend has found her purpose in something far more consequential than any single race.

Felix has devoted the final years of her illustrious sprinting career to raising awareness of the inequities women face in sports, even at the highest levels of professional competition. The nine-time Olympic medalist waged a public battle with Nike - her longtime sponsor - over maternity protections. Eventually, she cut ties with the massive athletic gear brand and exposed Nike's lack of support for her newfound status as both an athlete and a mother in a bombshell May 2019 op-ed she wrote for The New York Times.

So when Felix finished behind Quanera Hayes - a fellow American sprinter and mother of a toddler - in the 400m final at the US Olympic Trials last month to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, the pair celebrated by introducing their young children to each other in a heartwarming display.

"We had hugged after the race, and I told her how proud I was of her and just how happy it was that we made the team together, and then I went to go see my daughter and get my daughter," Felix told Insider. "And then I looked up, and here she is walking with her son. It was this moment that just was so authentic and just happened - we looked up, and we saw each other, and then we saw the kids, and it was just this really, really special moment."

"And for me, it was full circle because it's like, this is what I've been fighting for," she added.

Hayes - who edged Felix by 24 hundredths of a second in the race - scooped up her two-year-old son, Demetrius, from the stands and walked him over to the most decorated American woman in Olympic track and field history and her three-year-old daughter, Camryn Ferguson. The two Olympian "supermommies," as Hayes told Demetrius and Camryn, embraced before encouraging their toddlers to "Say hi!"

Upon his mom's urging, Demetrius - who appeared to be wearing a T-shirt with a photo of Hayes on the front - opened up his arms and wrapped Ferguson in a hug. The crowd roared.

"We actually shared a moment where she was just talking about some of the stuff that I had done and fought for and how without that, she wouldn't be there," Felix recalled. "And to me, that was just a crowning moment, because when you're going through it, you're like, 'Does this even matter? Is it gonna move the needle at all?'"

"And then to have that happen, it was like, 'Okay, it's meaningful, and I'm where I'm supposed to be.'"

Felix has channeled that activism into her more recent brand partnerships. She works with Peloton, a fitness brand that created its own line of pre- and post-natal workout classes. She also signed with Athleta, a GAP-owned apparel brand aiming "to support women athletes and mothers everywhere," per its website.

The most decorated athlete, man or woman, in World Championships history now has her own brand, too. Saysh, which launched in June, is "a lifestyle brand for women that's all about making sure that women are seen and know their worth and are heard," Felix told Insider.

"I hope that it becomes really big, and we're really being thoughtful in the way that we're building it," Felix continued. "For me, it's all about listening to her and hearing what she needs. We're starting with this lifestyle sneaker, and that's really because I learned that sneakers were made for men. And this sneaker is made for a woman."

"It's being in touch with what she says she wants next," she added. "And so I hope that goes a very long way."