Jamaican sprinting great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to retire after the Paris Olympics
By George Ramsay, CNN
(CNN) — Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has announced that she will retire after the upcoming Summer Games in Paris.
In an interview with Essence magazine, the 37-year-old Fraser-Pryce, a dominant force in women’s sprinting ever since she won her first Olympic gold in 2008, said that she is stepping away from the sport to spend more time with her family.
“My son needs me,” she said. “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.”
The Jamaican has won eight Olympic medals and 10 world championship titles over the course of her decorated career.
Specializing in the 100 meters, Fraser-Pryce won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the event in 2008 and 2012 and finished second at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Nicknamed “pocket rocket” because of her speed and diminuitive height, she has become an instantly recognizable presence on the track due to her multi-colored hairstyles.
Following the birth of her son Zion in 2017, Fraser-Pryce won three world titles and two Olympic medals in Tokyo.
Speaking to Essence magazine, she explained how competing at this year’s Olympics in Paris was about “pushing boundaries” and “showing people that you stop when you decide.”
She added that she “want[s] to finish on my own terms.”
Fraser-Pryce will be a contender for the 100m title at this year’s Olympics, which begins on July 26 and runs until August 11, alongside USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson and compatriots Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah.
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