Allyson Felix has reversed her retirement in answering the call to join the US women's 4x400m relay team at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene ©Getty Images

Allyson Felix, who announced her retirement after winning 4x400 metres mixed relay bronze on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, has been persuaded to turn out for the United States women’s 4x400m relay team in the heats scheduled for the second session on day nine.

The 36-year-old 200 and 400m specialist from Los Angeles, who has amassed 19 World Championship medals, including 13 golds, may yet make 20 if history repeats itself, given she has already taken gold from this event at the 2007, 2009, 2011, 2017 and 2019 editions.

Felix told the Associated Press that team officials had coaxed her out of her brief retirement after she had run the second leg of the mixed relay team final.

"The coaches asked if I was available and there was no way I’d turn the team down," she said.

Allyson Felix, reflecting after winning 4x400 mixed relay bronze in Eugene last week, which she said was her last race, has answered the call to join the women's 4x400m relay team today ©Getty Images
Allyson Felix, reflecting after winning 4x400 mixed relay bronze in Eugene last week, which she said was her last race, has answered the call to join the women's 4x400m relay team today ©Getty Images

The women’s 4x400 relay final is due to be held on the final day of the Championships.

Since announcing her retirement last week Felix, who has a three-year-old daughter, has attended a number of speaking engagements and the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards in Los Angeles - but she will be back for an unscheduled, and presumably final track challenge at Hayward Field.

“When I got the call, I locked in and refocused,” Felix said.

Felix, whose World Championship medals include four individual golds, has also won 11 Olympic medals, including the 200m title at the London 2012 Olympics.

At Tokyo 2020 last year she was part of the 4x400m team along with Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu that extended the United States winning run in the event to seven.