Olympic track and field runner, Allyson Felix, has broken her tie with Usain Bolt for holding the most gold medals in World Championships history. 

NBC Sports reports Felix earned her tie-breaking medal on Saturday, when she ran in the first-ever mixed-gender 4x400m relay race in the Doha World Athletics Championships — the event will make its Olympic debut next year in Tokyo. The U.S. quartet — comprised of Wil London III, Felix, Courtney Okolo and Michael Cherry — ran the event in 3:09.34, beating Jamaica by 2.44 seconds. Bahrain took third place. 

Felix now holds a total of 12 gold medals.

Felix ran the second leg of the relay in 50.4 seconds. The victory marked her first gold medal win as a mother. 

“So special, to have my daughter here watching means the world to me. It’s been a crazy year for me,” the 33-year-old told NBC Sports. 

The Olympian gave birth to daughter Camryn, via emergency C-section on November 28 at 32 weeks. Her little one spent 29 days in the NICU after being born at just three pounds, seven ounces. 

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today i’ll step on the starting line for the first time in over a year. it might sound cliche, but making it there for me is a huge victory • almost 8 months ago this was my entire world. staying in the NICU all day & night watching my baby girl fight. i can still hear the beeping and alarms of the machines. the uncertainty. the fear • there were a lot of days i wasn’t sure this was going to be possible. i worked harder than i even knew i could. there were tears, frustration and doubt. at times it felt like everything was against me • so today i’m far from my best, but i’m grateful for this opportunity and to experience the joy of competing again • more than anything i thank God we are healthy.

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“Making it through this year with so much going on, I think it’s going to make next year feel a lot easier,” she said in interviews on Sunday. She added that this short season was “a stepping stone.”

The Los Angeles native is the most decorated track and field Olympian, with nine gold medals in only four games. She also holds the record for overall medals in world championship competitions, male or female, with 17 medals. She is expected to compete in Tokyo next year, breaking Michael Johnson’s record as the oldest athlete to compete in the 400m. 

Felix made headlines earlier this year when she criticized Nike, one of her former sponsors, for not wanting to pay her properly if and when she became pregnant. She is one of many female athletes, including Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher, to condemn Nike’s maternity rights. Nike responded by changing their contract policies. Felix has since signed a sponsorship contract with Athleta. 

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