Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - The Ruler
TRACK & FIELD - 100m, 200m, 4x100m SPRINTER - OLYMPICS - JAMAICA
ARCHETYPE: THE RULER
Day 89/135
Athletic Accomplishments
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is, without any doubt or equivocation, one of the greatest sprinters of all-time. Since 2008, she’s been a fixture at international competitions, having won more global 100m titles than any other sprinter in history.
Growing up in Jamaica, Fraser-Pryce was a gifted sprinter, who started by running barefoot in primary school before gaining the attention of coaches and competing at Champs, the Jamaican track and field main stage.
At 20 years old, Fraser-Pryce gained some momentum, placing fifth in the 100m at the Jamaican National Senior Championships.
But the following year, 2008, was her breakout year. At the Olympic trials, she took second place in the 100m final, running 10.85—her first ever sub-11 second finish. With this time and performance, Fraser-Pryce edged out some Jamaican sprinting legends like Veronica Campbell-Brown. Worrying that Fraser-Pryce’s performance was a fluke and that she was too inexperienced on the global stage, some petitioned to have her replaced on the Jamaican roster. Lucky for Jamaica, that petition failed.
In the 2008 Olympics, Fraser-Pryce won the 100m final, the first Caribbean woman to ever win gold in the 100, and led a Jamaican sweep of the event. Her time, 10.78, was the second fastest 100m ever run in the Olympics. (So, thanks for your concern, petitioners, but Fraser-Pryce is no fluke.)
Thus began the era of Jamaican sprint dominance. Thus, began the era of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Let’s just read this Wikipedia paragraph, because there’s no better way to capture just how incredible a sprinter and competitor this woman is:
“[Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce] is the only person to win four world titles in the 100 m—in 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019. Her win in 2019 at the age of 32 made her the oldest female sprinter, and the first mother in 24 years, to claim a global 100 m title. In 2013, she became the first woman to sweep the 100m, 200m and 4 × 100m at a single World Championship, and was voted the IAAF World Athlete of the Year. She added the 60m world indoor title in 2014, making her the only woman to hold World Championship titles in all four events at the same time.”
Since 2008, Fraser-Pryce has competed at three Olympic Games, winning medals at all of them:
2x Olympic gold medals - 100m (2008, 2012)
3x Olympic silver medals - 200m (2012), 4x100m relay (2012), 4x100m (2016)
Olympic bronze medal = 100m (2016)
She’s also racked up nine gold medals and two silver at World Championships, and four Diamond League titles in the 100m (2012, 2013, and 2015) and 200m (2013).
This summer, Fraser-Pryce looks to add even more medals to her collection at the Summer Games.
Character Archetype: The Ruler
At just over 5 feet, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce earned her nickname, “The Pocket Rocket,” for her unmatched ability to explode out of the blocks and take the lead, never letting up until she crosses the finish line.
In many races, a runner can recover from a bad start or few missteps, but in the 100m, there is literally no room for error. That’s why Fraser-Pryce’s record is even more staggering.
She’s won six Olympic medals—including back-to-back 100m golds—11 World Championship medals, and four Diamond League titles. Just last week, she won the 100m at Diamond League Doha, setting the stage for a showdown with newcomer Sha’Carri Richardson, who is clearly gunning for the win at the Tokyo Olympics.
But Fraser-Pryce is the favorite and most fearsome sprinter in track and field. She’ll be chasing gold, but everyone else will be chasing her.