TOKYO — Allyson Felix has been in the public eye for all of her adult life. The sprinter turned pro out of high school, still a rare move for American track and field stars, but when you win an Olympic silver medal at 18-years-old, just four years after first joining a track team, running for an NCAA program, even one as storied as the University of Southern California, seems unnecessary.
For much of her career, Felix won plenty but said little; certainly she was involved in charitable endeavors, usually ones involving children, but speaking out wasn't her thing.