Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce is a Jamaican woman track and field athlete born on 27th December 1986. She hails from Kingston city of Jamaica. Shelly-Ann specializes in sprinting and represents her country internationally in 100m and 200m races.

Background

Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce was born to Orane Fraser and Maxine Simpson. She was raised in an impoverished family that resided in the violent city of Waterhouse. She and her two brothers were looked after by their mother, Maxine, who worked as a street vendor.

Shelly-Ann was an athlete when she was young. While studying in primary school, she began running barefoot. After completing her school education, she joined Wolmer’s High School Education, where she became active in youth athletics and won a 100m Bronze medal at the age of 16.

In 2006, Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce enrolled at the University of Technology to acquire a degree in Bachelor of Science in Child and Adolescent Development. At the university, she trained under Stephen Francis, former coach of her fellow countryman Asafa Powell. During her training days, she had admitted to being unpunctual and lazy.

In 2012, Shelly-Ann graduated from the University of Technology. She is married to a former athlete Jason Pryce and has a son together born in 2017.

Rise to Glory

Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce’s career breakthrough came in 2002 when she won her first national title in 200m at the Jamaican U-18 Championships. That year, in July, she won her first international title in 4x100m at the CAC Junior Championships.

In 2005, Shelly-Ann competed at the CARIFTA Games in the U-20 category, where she won a Bronze medal in 100m and also helped her team win the 4x100m relay title. 4 years later, in 2009, she became senior national champion in 100m at the Jamaican Athletics Championships. In 2012, Shelly-Ann won her first 200m national title. She has a total of five national titles under her belt.

In 2018, Shelly-Ann won the Silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the NACAC Championships.

Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce is recorded as the world’s joint 4th fastest-runner alongside Elaine Thompson (10.70s) and 8th fastest-runner in 60 meters with the personal best time of 6.98 seconds.

Major Achievements

Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce made her senior international debut at the 2007 World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan, where she helped her Jamaican relay team to win the Silver medal in the 4x100m relay. In 2008, she scripted history in her Olympic debut by becoming the first woman athlete from Jamaica to bag Olympic Gold in 100m at the Beijing Olympics. That year, in September, Shelly-Ann won another 100m Gold medal at the World Athletics Finals.

In 2009, Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce became World Champion in 100m and 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Championships. She would go on to clinch seven world championships titles – three each in 100m and 4x100m (2013, 2015, and 2019) and one in 200m (2013). At the Diamond League, Shelly-Ann had won three 100m titles (2012, 2013, and 2015) and a 200m title (2013).

In 2012, Shelly-Ann bagged a Gold medal in 100m and two Silver medals in 200m and 4x100m relay at the London Olympics. At the Diamond League, Shelly-Ann had won three 100m titles (2012, 2013, and 2015) and a 200m title (2013).

In 2014, Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce won the 60m title at the World Indoor Championships. That year, she helped the Jamaican relay team to win the 4x100m title at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, followed by a Bronze medal in the 4x200m relay at the World Athletics Relay.

In 2016, Shelly-Ann won Silver and Bronze medals in the 4x100m relay and 100m respectively at the Rio Olympics. In 2018, Shelly-Ann was part of the Jamaican relay team that won the Silver medal in 4x100m at the inaugural Athletics World Cup. The following year, she won a 200m Gold medal at the Pan American Games.

Shelly-Ann-Fraser-Pryce will appear in her 4th Olympics at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and is in contention to win the Gold medal in the women’s 100m sprint.