Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce sports discipline competed in 100 metres
Biography
Early years
Shelly-Ann Fraser was born to Orane Fraser and Maxine Simpson in the inner city community of Waterhouse, in Kingston. She was raised with her two brothers by her mother, a former athlete who worked as a street vendor. A gifted sprinter from a very young age, she started running barefoot in primary school. Throughout her time at the Wolmer's High School for Girls, she was uncertain about pursuing a career in track and field. However, she was active on the youth athletics scene, competing in the famous Inter-Secondary Schools Boys and Girls Championships (known locally as "Champs"), and winning bronze in the 100 m at age 16. In 2002, she ran 25.35 s to win the 200 m title at the Jamaican Under-18 Championships, and later that year helped the Jamaican junior team win 4 × 100 m relay gold at the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships, held in Bridgetown, Barbados. At the 2005 CARIFTA Games in Trinidad and Tobago, she won bronze in the 100 m in 11.73 s, and earned a gold medal as part of the 4 × 100 m relay team.2010–2011: Suspension and return
In June 2010, Fraser-Pryce received a six-month suspension from athletics after a urine sample taken at the Shanghai Diamond League tested positive for oxycodone. Although oxycodone is banned as a narcotic, it is not considered performance enhancing or to be a masking agent. Fraser-Pryce insisted that her positive result was due to medication her coach recommended for a toothache, and that she had neglected to properly declare it. She later stated, "[I'm] supposed to set examples – so whatever it is I put in my body it's up to me to take responsibility for it and I have done that." She resumed competition in January 2011, and her track results from 2010 were nullified.Fraser-Pryce married Jason Pryce in January 2011, changing her name from Fraser to Fraser-Pryce. She had a late start to her 2011 season, hampered by a calf injury that prevented her from competing at the Jamaican National Championships. Her first international race of the season was at the Prefontaine Classic on June 4, where she finished fourth in 10.95 s behind Carmelita Jeter (who ran a world leading 10.70 s), Marshevet Myers of the U.S. (10.86 s) and Kerron Stewart (10.87 s). She withdrew from the Athletissima track meet in Switzerland at the end of June, and returned on July 19 for the Meeting Sport Solidarietà, where she placed first in 11.11 s.At the 2011 World Championships, held in Daegu, South Korea, Fraser-Pryce was not considered the favourite for gold, and her season's best of 10.95 s ranked her the sixth fastest of the year. At the championships, she placed second in her 100 m heat in 11.13 s, then first in her semifinal in 11.03 s. In the world 100 m final, she started quickly but could not maintain the lead, finishing fourth in 10.99 s, and missing the podium by 0.01 s. Gold went to Carmelita Jeter in 10.90 s, while Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago collected silver and bronze in 10.97 s and 10.98 s respectively. Fraser-Pryce later ran the lead leg on Jamaica's 4 × 100 m relay team, earning silver behind the United States in a new national record of 41.70 s.The 2011 championships in Daegu remains Fraser-Pryce's only defeat in a world 100 m final.Fraser-Pryce returned to the track in May 2018, nine months after giving birth, winning the 100 m at the Kingston All Comers Meet in 11.52 s. The next month, she ran 11.33 s for second place at the Cayman Invitational, then 11.10 s to win the JN Racers Grand Prix back in Kingston. In the 100 m final at the Jamaican Championships, she had a quick start but finished second to double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson in a season's best 11.09 s. In July she took to the international circuit for several Diamond League meets, all while breastfeeding for her first 15 months after giving birth. She competed in the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern and the Galà dei Castelli in Switzerland, finishing fifth (11.22 s) and second (11.15 s) respectively.Now self-branded the "mommy rocket", Fraser-Pryce took a more relaxed approach to her training, stating that motherhood not only changed her perspective, but had given her newfound motivation to compete. Although she was optimistic about her return to peak form, one of her biggest hurdles was rebuilding her core strength (hampered by her C-section) to recapture her explosiveness from the blocks. In July 2018, on her ninth race since returning to competition, she finally broke 11 seconds, clocking 10.98 s to win at the London Grand Prix. She later competed in the 4 × 100 m at the 2018 Athletics World Cup, helping the Jamaican team win silver behind Great Britain. In August, she ran 11.18 s for fifth place at the Toronto North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Championships, then earned silver behind the United States in the 4 × 100 m relay.2019: Fourth 100 metre world title
After ending her 2018 season ranked 10th in the world in the 100 m, Fraser-Pryce made steady progress with her training into the 2019 season. At the Jamaican Championships in June, she again finished second to Elaine Thompson in both the 100 m and the 200 m. However, the 100 m final ended with both sprinters sharing the world-leading time of 10.73 s, and Thompson declared the winner in a photo finish. It was the first race in history in which two women finished inside 10.75 s; Fraser-Pryce's 10.73 s in this race also became the fastest non-winning time in history (at the time).2020–2021: New coach and Tokyo Olympics
Fraser-Pryce kickstarted her season in February on the indoor circuit, winning the 60 m at the Muller Indoor Athletics Grand Prix in 7.16 s. It was her first indoor competition since she won gold in Sopot back in 2014. The rest of her 2020 season was inhibited by the COVID-19 pandemic, which also led to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics until 2021. In August 2020, she ran 100 m times of 10.87 s and 10.86 s in local track meets in Kingston, ending her season as the second fastest of the year behind Elaine Thompson's 10.85 s. In the 200 m, she held a season's best of 22.57 s, the sixth fastest in the world for the year.In May 2020, it was reported that Fraser-Pryce had left the MVP Track Club, and had started training under the guidance of Reynaldo Walcott. Walcott had previously worked with Stephen Francis at the MVP Track Club and was now the head coach at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School. Fraser-Pryce trained briefly with Walcott after parting ways with Francis in 2016, but later returned to MVP in November of that year.Fraser-Pryce opened her 2021 season in late May at the Müller Grand Prix Gateshead, posting 11.51 s for fourth place in cold, wet and windy conditions. Days later, she placed first at the Doha Diamond League in 10.84 s. On June 5, 2021, she ran a new personal best, a new world lead and new Jamaican record of 10.63 s at the JAAA Olympic Destiny Series meet in Kingston, becoming the fastest woman alive (at the time). The quickest 100 m in over 33 years, her 10.63 s improved on the previous national record of 10.70 s that she shared with Elaine Thompson-Herah, and placed her ahead of American sprinters Carmelita Jeter (10.64 s) and Marion Jones (10.65 s). Fraser-Pryce told reporters, "I’m at a loss for words because 10.6 has been a dream, a goal. I’ve been working so hard, been so patient and to see it finally unfold, I’m just ecstatic." At the Jamaican Olympic Trials at the end of June, Fraser-Pryce won the 100 m title in 10.71 s, ahead of Shericka Jackson (10.82 s) and defending national champion Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.84 s). She also won the 200 m national title in a new personal best of 21.79 s, beating her previous career best of 22.09 s from 2012.In a Jamaican sweep of the podium in the Olympic 100 m final, Fraser-Pryce finished second behind defending champion Thompson-Herah in 10.74 s. Jackson secured the bronze in a personal best 10.76 s. Thompson-Herah’s winning time of 10.61 s was a new Olympic record, a new national record and moved her ahead of Fraser-Pryce as the fastest woman alive. By winning her fourth consecutive Olympic medal in the 100 m, Fraser-Pryce set the record for the most medals won in the event by any athlete. In the 200 m final, Fraser-Pryce placed fourth in 21.94 s, the fastest ever time for that place. In the 4 × 100 m relay final, Jamaica secured gold in a national record 41.02 s, ahead of the U.S. (41.45 s) and Great Britain (41.88 s).At the Lausanne Diamond League in August, Fraser-Pryce ran a new 100 m personal best of 10.60 s (the third fastest time ever, at the time) to beat Thompson-Herah, whose 10.64 s became the fastest non-winning time in history. Motivated by her achievement, Fraser-Pryce said, “Believe it or not I still have not run my best race. I know there is more to give because I still need to work on perfecting my technique.”
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