Considered one the greatest female sprinters of all time and a career that spans 14-years, Jamaican and World Athletics sprint sensation Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a female the personifies what it means to be a mum, wife and athlete, has announced her plans to make #Paris24 her swan song, as she bows out to make time for family.
She is the perfect example of what it is to be and become simply extraordinary.
“There is not a day that I’m going to practice and I’m like, ‘I’m over this,’” she told the media at Essence. “My son needs me. My husband has been with me since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me.”
“We are a partnership, a team. Due to that support, I can do the things I have been doing for all these years. And now I think I owe it to them to do something different.”
Jamaican and World Athletics sprint sensation Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Having made her fourth appearance in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Fraser-Pryce claimed a silver medal in the 100m and gold medal in the 4x100m relay with her teammates that took her Olympic medal haul to eight (3 Gold, 4 Silver and 1 Bronze).
Nicknamed the “Pocket Rocket” Fraser-Pryce lived up to that name. At just 1.6m tall, she literally flew past her competitors in a career that she can so fondly look back on with pride.
Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica her passion for track and field events started at a the tender age of 10. Attending the University of Technology in Kingston, she was placed fifth at the National Championships and earned herself a silver medal in the 4x100m relay.
Her game changing moment came at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she announced herself to the world by winning the 100m in a time of 10.78 seconds. From then there was no stopping the “Pocket Rocket”. She went on to win the 100m at the 2009 World Champions, and the 4x100m relay event with #TeamJamaica.
At the London Olympic Games in 2012, Fraser-Pryce became the third female to successfully defend her Olympic 100m title, also claiming Olympic Silver in the 200m, and the 4x100m relay as part of the Jamaican team at the London Olympics.
Fraser-Pryce won the women’s 100m final at the 2013 World Championships and four days later, she became the third female to win the “dash double”. She also ran the 4x100m relay anchoring the Jamaican team as they secured gold. The cherry on the top was International Association of Athletics Federation naming Fraser-Pryce the 2013 Female Athlete of the Year.
One of World Championships’ most decorated athlete in its history, Fraser-Pryce holds 16 World Championship medals, and she is not done yet. She is the only sprinter female or male to win 5 World Titles in the 100m dash (2009, 2013, 2015, 2019 & 2022)
“You can have an impact, and it’s important to show people that you can’t be selfish,” she said.
“It’s not enough that we step on a track and we win medals. You have to think about the next generation that’s coming after you, and give them the opportunity to also dream – and dream big.”
Fraser-Pryce became the first female to win three 100m gold medals in World Championships in 2015. She also won gold with the Jamaican relay team at the same event.
Battling a toe-injury at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, she claimed a sliver medal in the 4x100m relay and bronze in the 100m finals. Having taken time off for the birth of her son in 2017, Fraser-Pryce came back stronger and more determined to make her mark at the 2019 World Championships, where she won her fourth World 100m title and won gold in the 4x100m relay event with her team.
She became the oldest female to win that title in Doha, and further extended that record by winning in Eugene at age 35 in 2022, all this some 14 years after she won her first Olympic gold.
Fraser-Pryce received the 2023 International Humanitarian Award for her work with her foundation which is so aptly named Pocket Rocket Foundation. She formed the foundation to aid the next generation and to help them realise their dreams in both academics and sports.
She feels that this year’s Olympics in Paris is about, “Showing people that you stop when you decide. I want to finish on my own terms.”
Age is just a number and you can become anything you want if you set your mind to it. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is proof of that. She is an extraordinary athlete and with her fifth Olympic appearance looming in the distance, she is an athlete that is set to light up the track one last time for the world at #Paris2024 in July and August.
“One legacy is not measured by the number of medals won but by impact. Your legacy is result of your life’s work.” An athlete that is truly creating a legacy not just for her son but for every generation after.
Main Image Caption: Considered one the greatest female sprinters of all time and a career that spans 14-years, Jamaican and World Athletics sprint sensation Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a person who personifies what it means to be a mum, wife and athlete, has announced her plans to make #Paris24 her swan song as she bows out to make time for family. Photo: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Facebook
Image 2 Caption: Can we count all the medals in this rich career? But the Jamaican “Pocket Rocket” Fraser-Pryce is humble: “It’s not enough that we step on a track and we win medals. You have to think about the next generation that’s coming after you, and give them the opportunity to also dream – and dream big.” Photo: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Facebook
Image 3 Caption: Fraser-Pryce has said that the is retiring from professional athletics to make more time for her family. “We are a partnership, a team. Due to that support, I can do the things I have been doing for all these years. And now I think I owe it to them to do something different.”. Photo: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Instagram
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