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- Six-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix went unnoticed when a fan asked her about Simone Biles.
- The woman said it was "incredible" Biles had switched to Athleta, not realizing Felix helped pave the way.
- Felix left Nike for Athleta in 2019. Two years later, Biles followed suit.
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Allyson Felix is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of sprinting, but she's also often-overlooked, something she herself is acutely aware of.
In a much-discussed profile in Time, Felix recounted the tale of a stranger coming up to her while she worked out, and seemingly not having any idea they were speaking with a six-time Olympic gold medalist.
Felix told the magazine that in May she was working out when she was approached by a woman who had noticed she was holding an Athleta water bottle.
Instead of asking Felix – who has been signed to the activewear company since July 2019 – about her career, the woman opened by asking: "Do you know who Simone Biles is?"
In April 2021, Biles became an Athleta-sponsored athlete, following Felix in leaving Nike for the brand.
Felix replied yes to which the woman said: "It's incredible how she left Nike to go to Athleta," not realizing she was speaking to a six-time Olympic gold medalist, the first athlete Athleta sponsored, and someone one who played a major part in the genesis of Biles' deal by paving the way for her.
When Felix left Nike, she published a heavily critical statement, claiming the American company did not support pregnant women or new mothers.
Biles was not directly critical of Nike when she left, but seemed to take a veiled shot at her former sponsor, saying of Athleta: "I feel like they also support me, not just as an athlete, but just as an individual outside of the gym and the change that I want to create, which is so refreshing."
In her Time profile, Felix again criticized Nike saying it was "beyond disrespectful" to be asked to star in an advert about female-empowerment while negotiating maternity protections with the company.
"I was like, this is just beyond disrespectful and tone-deaf.
"Nike, sometimes, they feel like you don't have another option. So they can get away with stuff like that because, where are you going to go?" - she said.
"And I think that's how I was always perceived: 'She's never going to say anything. She's never going to speak out.'" Felix told Time.