Allyson Felix’s on-track accomplishments are second to none.

She’s the most decorated woman in Olympic track & field history, the most decorated U.S. track & field Olympian and the most decorated athlete in World Athletics Championship history.

But like Serena Williams, Felix’s greatest impact came outside competition, most notably by championing motherhood in sports. She memorably spoke out against then-sponsor Nike in 2019 when the company tried to reduce her salary while she was pregnant.

Felix’s activism inspired a maternity policy change at Nike, and she even testified before Congress about the maternal mortality crisis that disproportionately affects Black women.

She later partnered with new-sponsor Athleta on a grant assisting athletes with childcare expenses, and implemented a landmark maternity return policy at her shoe brand Saysh. Truly walking (or sprinting!) that walk.