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Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce
Olympian, World Champion
The "Pocket Rocket"

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Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce | Jamaican Athlete, Olympian and World ChampionShelly Ann Fraser Pryce | Jamaican Athlete, Olympian and World Champion

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

She doesn’t need much of an introduction. We all know her, we all love her, not just because of her amazing talent, but in part, her high-spirited and bubbly personality. Whether you call her “pocket rocket” or “mommy rocket”, there is no debating or denying that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, is one of Jamaica’s national treasures.

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Early Life

Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, born December 27, 1986, is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60m, 100m, and 200m and is internationally regarded as one of the all-time greats in sprinting.

She was born in the Kingston neighbourhood of Waterhouse to Orane Fraser and Maxine Simpson. Her mother, a former athlete who worked as a street vendor, raised her and her two brothers. A natural sprinter from a young age, she began running barefoot in primary school.

She was unsure about pursuing a career in track and field throughout her time at Wolmer's High School for Girls. She did, however, compete in the famous Inter-Secondary Schools Boys and Girls Championships (known locally as "Champs"), winning bronze in the 100 m at the age of 16.

In 2002, she won the 200 m title in 25.35 seconds at the Jamaican Under-18 Championships. Fraser-Pryce was unfocused as a young athlete, despite encouragement from peers and coaches.

She admitted to being a slacker who was always late for training and would skip workouts out of fear of becoming too muscular.

Career

Fraser-Pryce’s career spans a decade and a half, from the late 2000s to the 2020s, making her one of the most enduring track athletes in history. Her success on the track, particularly her consistency at major championships, contributed to the internationalisation of Jamaican athletics.

She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion in the 100 m, her signature event. She has an Olympic silver medal and a World Championship gold medal in the 200 m.

Important Years In Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce's Career

  • 2008: First Olympic gold - She became the first Caribbean woman to win a gold medal in the 100m at the Beijing Olympics.

  • 2009: First 100 metre world title - became the third fastest woman at the time with a 10.73s record.

  • 2010- 2011: Suspension and return - Fraser-Pryce was suspended from athletics for six months after a urine sample taken at the Shanghai Diamond League tested positive for oxycodone. This may have been due to the pain medication she received for toothache but did not declare before testing.

    This is also the year she got married to her husband Jason Pryce. She participated in the Daegu World Championships, which is the only championship that she did not receive a gold medal in the 100m.

  • 2012: Olympic title defence - In May, she finished third in the Doha Diamond League with a time of 11.00 seconds, then second in the Rome Golden Gala with a time of 11.06 seconds. By June, she was back on track, winning the Adidas Grand Prix in 10.92 seconds. She won the sprint double at the Jamaican Olympic Trials in Kingston a few weeks later. In the 100 meters, she set a new personal best (and world record) of 10.70 seconds. Her time of 10.75 seconds in London was the second fastest in Olympic history at the time.

  • 2013: IAAF World Athlete of the Year - She was the first woman to win the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 100 m at the same World Championships. Fraser-Pryce set three of the fastest 100 m times in 2013 and two of the fastest 200 m times.

    Throughout the season, she won six Diamond League races (four in the 100 m and two in the 200 m) to claim the Diamond League titles in both events. She received the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award.

  • 2014: World indoor champion - Fraser-Pryce made her World Indoor Championships debut in March 2014 in Sopot, Poland. She was the first woman in history to hold world records in the 60 m, 100 m, 200 m, and 4 x 100 m all at the same time.

  • 2015: Third 100 metre world title - In the 100 m final at the World Championships in August, she set a new world record with a time of 10.76 seconds.

  • 2016: Injury and Rio Olympics - She developed sesamoiditis, which caused chronic pain and inflammation in her big toe, limiting her ability to train or compete. In the 100m finals at the Olympics in Rio, despite obvious pain and discomfort, she battled to the finish line in a season's best 10.86 seconds, winning bronze.

  • 2017- 2018: Motherhood and comeback - She gave birth via C-section to her son Zyon Pryce. Fraser-Pryce raced again in May 2018, nine months after giving birth. In July, she competed in several Diamond League events while breastfeeding for the first 15 months after giving birth.

  • 2019: Fourth 100 metre world title - Fraser-Pryce won an unprecedented fourth 100 m world title in 10.71 seconds after returning from maternity leave at the Doha World Championships, becoming the fastest mother in history.

    2020- 2021: New coach and Tokyo Olympics - In the Olympic 100 m final, Fraser-Pryce finished second in 10.74 seconds, trailing defending champion Thompson-Herah.

    Fraser-Pryce set a record by winning her fourth consecutive Olympic medal in the 100 m, becoming the athlete with the most medals in the event. This brings her overall Olympic medals to 8 (3 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze).

    2022 - present: Fifth 100 metre world title- In July, Fraser-Pryce led another Jamaican podium sweep for a record-extending fifth 100 m title (Her winning time of 10.67 s, her quickest 100 m in a global final, equalled her season's best and broke Marion Jones' championship record of 10.70 s set in 1999. Her win at the championships made her 5x World Champion.

Awards and Recognition

Fraser-Pryce was awarded the Order of Distinction in 2008 for her athletic achievements.

She was honoured with a statue at the Jamaica National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, in October 2018.

She has received numerous awards in Jamaica, including the JAAA's Golden Cleats Award for Female Athlete of the Year four times: in 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2015.

She was named “Jamaican Sportsperson of the Year” four times; 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2019.

She has been nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year five times: in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2019.

She was named “IAAF World Athlete of the Year” after completing the sprint triple at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, becoming the first Jamaican woman to do so since Merlene Ottey in 1990.

She was named Best Female Athlete at the inaugural Panam Sports Awards in December 2019.

Major Sponsors, Charities and More

Sponsors: Digicel, GraceKennedy, and Nike have all signed sponsorship deals with Fraser-Pryce. Nike released a series of promotional videos of her 100-meter training sessions to promote her Olympic bid in 2016.

Charities: Throughout her career, Fraser-Pryce has advocated for a variety of causes. In February 2010, she was appointed as Jamaica's first UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador.

That same year, she was named Grace Goodwill Ambassador for Peace in collaboration with Grace Foods and the non-profit organisation PALS (Peace and Love in Society). She also founded the Pocket Rocket Foundation, which assists financially disadvantaged high school athletes.

Known for frequently changing her hairstyles during track season, she opened Chic Hair Ja in 2013.

She has continued to clock historic times on the track, followed up by animated interviews which we, in all honestly, look forward to maybe just as much as the competitions themselves.

Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, Mommy Rocket, is an inspiration to us all.

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References & Sources For Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce

  1. Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce | Biography, Titles, Medals, & Facts | Britannica,https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce
  2. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelly-Ann_Fraser-Pryce

Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce | Written: August 25th, 2022

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