Olympics-Felix, Williams headline USOPC Hall of Fame class
FILE PHOTO: Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Athletics - Women's 4 x 400m Relay - Final - Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - August 7, 2021. Allyson Felix of the United States celebrates after winning gold REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Track's most decorated female Olympian Allyson Felix and tennis's 23-times major winner Serena Williams headline the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee's 2025 Hall of Fame class announced on Tuesday.
The pair were inducted along with gymnastic trailblazer Gabby Douglas and alpine skier Bode Miller.
Felix won 11 medals, including seven golds, in an Olympic career that spanned five Games and became an advocate for working mothers and Black maternal healthcare after experiencing life-threatening complications during her pregnancy in 2018.
Serena Williams and her sister, Venus, formed the most successful doubles team in Olympic history with three golds in 2000, 2008 and 2012, and Williams added a singles gold in London, as well.
"This induction celebrates not only their remarkable performances and lasting impact but also acknowledges the essential contributions of those who supported their journeys every step of the way," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement.
Other inductees included three-time Olympic champion Douglas, the first Black woman to win gymnastics' all-around Olympic gold medal, and Miller, who earned gold in the super combined in Vancouver and picked up four more world championship golds.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Toby Davis)
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