Track and field star Allyson Felix is coming out of retirement to pursue a spot on the 2028 U.S. Olympic team in her hometown of Los Angeles. Felix, who holds the record for the most Olympic medals by any woman or American in the sport's history with 11, shared the news Monday.

Felix, 40, detailed her decision to return to the track in an announcement with Time magazine. She expressed a desire to compete in front of a home crowd, noting the incredible support host-country athletes receive during the Games.

The sprinter stepped away from competition in 2022 after a career that spanned five consecutive Summer Olympics from 2004 to 2020. Her resume includes seven gold medals, headlined by an individual 200-meter victory at the 2012 London Games and six relay titles.

By the time the Los Angeles Games begin on July 15, 2028, Felix will be nearly 43. She told Time that seeing other elite athletes like LeBron James and Tom Brady excel in their 40s helped spark her interest in testing her own limits. She noted that while society might expect her to focus solely on her role as a mother, she wants to embrace the challenge and be vulnerable in this next chapter.

The road to the 2028 Games will be demanding. The United States consistently produces some of the fastest sprinters globally, making the domestic qualifying process one of the most difficult in the world. Felix and her coach, Bobby Kersee, intend to begin full training in October, aiming to return to competition by 2027.

Since her initial retirement, Felix has been a vocal advocate for maternal health and women's rights. Following a public dispute with Nike over financial protections for pregnant athletes, she helped influence policy changes across the industry. She is currently a mother of two and has spent recent years touring with her documentary, "She Runs the World."

Felix has launched a website to document her training and progress, describing the journey as an experiment for a woman who has nothing left to prove.