Allyson Felix Reveals Why She Betted on Her Self-Branded Spikes at Tokyo Olympics 2020

The most decorated Olympic athlete in track and field history, Allyson Felix, is a bonafide legend. Ever since she made her debut in Athens 2004, the athlete has broken barriers in the athletics world and is one of the greatest athletes of all time. However, after her pregnancy in 2018, there were issues with her footwear sponsor Nike. The billion-dollar company cut her pay by 70 percent as Felix protested against the issue. Fast forward to 2021, she created her own brand of footwear, named Saysh, which made its debut in Tokyo.

The athlete donned a pair of spikes for the track and field events at Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Allyson Felix speaks about her shoe brand- Saysh

The 35-year-old American sprinter won a bronze medal in the 400-meter race in Japan. Likewise, she claimed silver in the Women’s 4x400m relay for team USA. Despite all her success, Felix did not have a footwear sponsor, as that motivated her to bring out her own brand of shoes. When asked about the decision to wear spikes in the Olympics, Felix delivered a response to ‘COMPLEX’.

“It kind of came about naturally. The footwear aspect was the reason that we decided to bring Saysh to life, just because I didn’t have a footwear sponsor. And it was crazy to me that at this point in my career, for whatever reason, maybe because I was so strongly branded as a Nike athlete, or whatever, the interest wasn’t there. And so it was like, OK, can we do this ourselves?”

The pay cut by Nike prompted her to start her own brand. She was vocal about that issue which resulted in the company changing its maternal policy in 2019.

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Saysh is here to stay

The famous sprinter hired former Nike engineer Tiffany Beers to help her develop and brand the shoes. Spikes are an essential part of an athlete. As athletes power their way to the finish line, spikes increase friction, improve grip, and stability for the runners. Thus, Saysh brand has become important for her to develop it into a major brand as it looks like a promising venture.

Felix focuses on developing the brand to a wider audience while the company plans to ship it out in September.

Felix’s performances have led to this brand. She has won 11 medals in the Olympics while being a versatile runner. By smoothly transitioning from 200 to 400-meters, Felix has achieved unparalleled success. Passing the legendary Carl Lewis to become the most decorated athlete from America speaks volumes about her achievement.

To sum up, Saysh is in expert hands. With Allyson Felix at the helm, the brand would grow into one of the most sought spikes by athletes around the world.

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