Mom says still proud of Fraser-Pryce
AFTER watching her daughter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce give up her World Championship crown on Monday, Maxine Simpson is still a doting mother.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 24, came into the Daegu Championship as the reigning Olympic and World Champion over 100 metres, but lost her crown to American Carmeleta Jeter.
Fraser-Pryce, standing at 5 ft 3 inches, finished fourth in 10.99 seconds behind Jeter (10.90), teammate Veronica Campbell-Brown (10.97) and Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago in 10.98.
“I feel pretty good. I am still proud of her,” Simpson told the Observer yesterday.
“I saw the race and she stumbled a little bit and it cost her,” noted Simpson.
The Olympic champion, known for her bullet-like starts, was unusually the third slowest out of the blocks and stumbled but recovered well to be second with 20 metres remaining.
But the little ‘pocket rocket’ faltered in the end and was narrowly kept out of the medals on the line.
“But she is alright still. She is a strong girl. I know she is OK. We give God thanks same way,” said her mother.
Meanwhile Fraser-Pryce, who was dethroned by Jeter, was quoted as saying, “We’ll see her again”.
Fraser-Pryce was only the second female sprinter to hold both world and Olympic 100m titles simultaneously (after American Gail Devers), and is tied with Frenchwoman Christine Arron as the fourth fastest woman in history over 100 metres with 10.73 seconds.