Fraser-Pryce and the farewell of one of the fastest ever
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is much more than an athlete. She is the most decorated sprinter of all time, with 24 medals between the Olympic Games and World Championships, including 13 gold medals. She was the heir to Jamaica's hopes after the Usain Bolt era, ensuring the country always reached the podium in major competitions. And she also became the mother of Zyon, returning to training just 11 weeks after an emergency C-section.
For this very reason, for being much more than an athlete, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was entitled to a fitting farewell. At 38, the Jamaican bid farewell to individual events this Sunday with a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter final at the World Athletics Championships—with the stands at Tokyo's National Stadium responding with a thunderous ovation as soon as the athlete was announced, appearing with her characteristic colorful hair, but this time dyed with the colors of the Jamaican flag.
The prolific Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce???????? ran her final World Championships 100M with time of 11.03. We celebrate and thank you for giving the world this gift of such an illustrious career. Wishing you all the best! ????????????
Olympic Games ???? 100M – 2008 Beijing
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— Team Jamaica (@TeamJA876) September 14, 2025
Fraser-Pryce will still compete in the 4x100m relay, risking the final medal of her career, and the truth is that she only made it to Tokyo as a kind of revenge for Paris. At the last Olympic Games, having already announced that she would end her career there, the Jamaican ended up missing the semifinals where she was the favorite. Physical problems were foreseen, but Fraser-Pryce later revealed that she was unable to appear on the track due to a panic attack. More than a year later, she decided to say goodbye doing what she always did best: running.
"I'm truly grateful to have been able to run in the 100-meter final once again. I wanted to say goodbye on my own terms. Being here tonight was a privilege, an honor, and my greatest blessing. I came to these World Championships with so many obstacles, but I managed to reach the final. And I think that's a huge achievement in itself. One of my greatest blessings is seeing these athletes, whom I've been able to inspire over the last few generations. It's been a blessing interacting with them, and I hope there's something you can take away from this journey. Trust your talent and go out there and give it your all," said the athlete, who also became a two-time world champion in the 100 meters after becoming a mother, in addition to winning the silver medal in the distance at the Tokyo Olympics and recording a personal best and third-fastest time ever.
The 100-meter final at the current World Athletics Championships was won by American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, bronze medalist in Paris, with Jamaican Tina Clayton and Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred rounding out the podium. Jefferson-Wooden's 10.61 seconds was the fourth-fastest time ever by a woman in the distance, behind only record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner (1988, 10.49), Elaine Thompson-Herah (2021, 10.54), and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (2021, 10.60).
observador
