Sprint legend Fraser-Pryce will retire after Olympics

Three-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce says she “owes” it to her family to retire after the 2024 Games.

The 37-year-old, acclaimed as one of the premier sprinters in history, clinched the 100m championship in both 2008 and 2012.

Jamaican Fraser-Pryce, who also secured Tokyo 2020 Olympic relay gold, along with three out of her 10 world titles, staged a remarkable comeback after the birth of her son in 2017.

“There’s not a day I’m getting up to go practise and I’m like, ‘I’m over this,'” she told Essence.com, external.

“My son needs me.

“My husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me.

“We’re a partnership, a team. And it’s because of that support that I’m able to do the things that I have been doing for all these years. And I think I now owe it to them to do something else.”

This year’s Olympics in Paris, she emphasized, are about demonstrating that one can choose when to conclude their journey. She aims to conclude her athletic career on her own terms.

In total, Fraser-Pryce boasts three Olympic gold medals, four silvers, and a bronze.

At last summer’s World Championships, she secured a bronze medal behind American Sha’Carri Richardson and her teammate Shericka Jackson. She remains a prominent contender for Paris 2024, scheduled for July and August.

Fraser-Pryce made history by becoming the oldest woman to clinch the 100m world title with her triumph in Doha in 2019. She further solidified this record by triumphing again at the age of 35 in Eugene in 2022, a remarkable 14 years after her initial Olympic gold.

“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.”

Olympics

World Championships