by Deji Ogeyingbo
Your editor’s first one-on-one interview with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was at the Nike Pre Classic. One of Nike’s sports marketing managers had asked me to interview a few athletes who were less than well-known. For SAFP, in 2011, was the question of her fitness. I spent about fifteen minutes with Shelly-Ann and was transfixed. SAFP is just a lot of fun, quite thoughtful, and knows a lot about the sport.
It is very hard for journalists like me to see athletes retire. I have watched Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce since 2008. She is iconic.
Deji Ogeyingbo put this wonderful piece together on the amazing sprinter, who will be racing at her very last Olympics.
The Last Dance for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: What should we expect?
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce announced herself to the world inside the Bird’s Nest stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics when she claimed Gold. The then 21-year-old lanky sprinter, still raw and unrefined, took the world by surprise as she ushered in the next gem of sprinting royalty, especially for the Jamaicans. But under the bright lights of China, her feat went somehow unnoticed as Usain Bolt stole the show with his bravado and swagger that he became the talk of the town afterward.
Not that Fraser-Pryce wasn’t duly appreciated for her gift and achievements all through her years of competing and dominating women’s sprinting, but she was up against her countryman in terms of popularity and to be fair there was always going to be only one winner in that quest for fame. Still, the hardcore fans of the sports duly gave her accolades.
Between 2008 and 2017, Fraser-Pryce won a barrage of Olympic and world medals that if she had retired when Bolt did, she would still have been considered one of the all-time greats of the sport. But she didn’t and that’s why we are here. Seven years down the line, the diminutive sprinter who has transcended the sport in all ramifications will have her last dance at the Paris Olympics.
Paris is just some days away. Signs are emerging that her body may start to show the wear and tear of a long and illustrious career. Fraser-Pryce recently pulled out of the meet in Luzern, citing a niggling issue. In fact, she didn’t open her season till June and has only competed in Jamaica all season. In the last year, she has had to pull out from a couple of other meets due to this issue. Her 10.77s race at last year’s world championships final in Budapest was the last time she dipped inside 10.8s, since 2022.
This reality doesn’t diminish her legendary status; instead, it underscores the inevitability of time’s impact on all athletes. The Jamaican sprint superstar has already secured her place in Olympic history, but as she prepares for her next major challenge, she is driven by more than just her legacy. Fraser-Pryce dreams of claiming her third individual Olympic gold in the women’s 100m, a victory that would cement her as the greatest female sprinter of all time.
The chances of that happening are pretty slim. At 37, Fraser-Pryce will be facing one of the toughest battles of her career, especially after a season plagued by injuries. Despite these setbacks, her determination and past performances remind us that the “Pocket Rocket” should never be underestimated. Fraser-Pryce has consistently defied the odds, and her resilience remains a powerful force as she eyes the pinnacle of Olympic success once more.
The younger ones have caught up. Sha’Carri Richardson is the bookies favorite to claim Gold in Paris. Then there is Shericka Jackson, the young Julien Alfred, and the American rising stars Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry. At the Jamaica Trials, Fraser-Pryce lost to the youngster Tia Clayton, one of the twins who have been tipped to take over her mantle as the next queen of sprinting.
As she heads towards Paris, Fraser-Pryce carries not only her decorated career but also the hopes of achieving an unprecedented milestone. The journey will undoubtedly be challenging, but her unwavering spirit and indomitable willpower make her a formidable competitor. We all love a great fairytale ending as fans, but as Allyson Felix showed us in 2022 during her final race it doesn’t always happen. The body breaks down and age will eventually tell.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s running career will come to an end after the Paris Olympics, but the athlete who has elevated her sport celebrated the beauty of motherhood and provided an inspiring role model for the world of athletics will mostly not bow out the way she wants. The fact she even chose to give it one last try is a victory on its own.
