Athletes tend to be drawn towards different music genres to achieve that certain boost for a successful warm-up prior to taking on their sport. For the six-time Olympic gold medalist, Allyson Felix, Beyonce’s “Diva” is the song selection that gets her pumped right before any meet.
Although she pulls her pre-game hype from Beyonce, that is not the influential black woman who has made an impact on both Felix’s everyday life and track career. When asked about her motivation and endurance, the famous track star mentioned her mentor and Olympic legend Jackie Joyner-Kersey for steering her in the proper direction.
Now, Allyson is showing her appreciation to those who have contributed to her success thus far with Folger’s #OneCupAtATime campaign. The campaign pays homage to the life lessons that mentors provide for their mentees.
“I think as a black female, our value seems to be so much less than our [male] counterpart so that’s always something that we’re aware of and you try to change [that] for the next generation” she said. “I think that it’s amazing that there are so many strong black athletes that are out there, like Serena Williams, who are doing such amazing things and breaking barriers and breaking people’s thoughts of what I should be. So for me, I definitely try to focus on a positive image and change for the next generation.”
The 2016 Olympics in Rio will be the 30-year-old’s fourth and final year participating on the Olympic team.