SEVERAL athletics figures say Olympian Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s contribution to track and field in Jamaica and globally has been outstanding.

Their comments are in response to Fraser-Pryce’s announcement of her decision to retire after the Paris Olympic Games this summer.

Since 2008 the 37-year-old has been one of the dominant forces in the sport with eight Olympic medals, including three gold, and 16 medals at the World Athletics Championships which include 10 gold. She is the third-fastest woman in history, clocking 10.60 seconds in the 100m in 2021.

Despite an injury-affected 2023 Fraser-Pryce won bronze in the 100m behind world leaders Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson and also helped Jamaica claim silver in the 4x100m at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, last August.

CARR…she has been a great motivation to show that things can happen, no matter where you come from (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

However, in an interview with Essence.com Fraser-Pryce said her family commitment was a major factor in her decision.

“There’s not a day I’m getting up to go practice and I’m like, ‘I’m over this,’ ” she said. “My son needs me. 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.”

Former president of Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), Dr Warren Blake says she deserves to be in the conversation with the world’s best athletes.

BLAKE…she’s always led from the front and she must rank as one of the greatest female athletes (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

“Shelly-Ann ranks with the likes of Usain Bolt in terms of the impact she’s had on the sport. She has been a phenomenal athlete since 2008 in Beijing when she first burst onto the scene. She’s always led from the front and she must rank as one of the greatest female athletes,” he told the
Jamaica Observer.

“Her first gold at Beijing stands out. Here was a youngster — and there was some controversy about the 100m selection and what should happen, given that there were other people who were running faster times, but JAAAs stood by the results of the national championships — and when she ran that race, when she jumped and punched the air, that was one of the greatest moments in track and field.”

FENNELL…if you look at her career and how she dedicated herself to everything she does, it’s a story that needs be told to the generations to come (Photo: Observer file)

Former president of Jamaica Olympic Association Mike Fennell says her exploits will never be forgotten.

“She’s not just an outstanding athlete but an outstanding person,” he said. “If you look at her career and how she dedicated herself to everything she does, it’s a story that needs be told to the generations to come. She has dedicated herself to improving in every way and to her success. She’s a truly incredible individual and we need to capture that for the benefit of others. I hope that everything is put in place for her preparation for Paris so her last hurrah will be memorable.”

National Junior Track and Field Coach Michael Carr, who coached Fraser-Pryce at Wolmer’s High School for Girls, says her career has been an inspiration to all, including the next generation of athletes.

“A lot of the kids all think about being like Shelly, they admire her. I know kids who have seen her [and] have fainted — that’s the sort of impact that she has had. That personality that she has would make anyone gravitate to her. I’ve known her since she was 12, I’ve seen her impact. The fact she’s decided to step away, it’s about her believing that she has done enough,” he said.

“As you know the many areas, she’s looked on as the GOAT [greatest of all time] because of the work she has done; her impact has been tremendous. We’re going to miss that smile on the podium, and I hope that this summer she gets the opportunity to get on the podium. She has been a great motivation to show that things can happen, no matter where you come from. As long as you believe in yourself, things can happen — that’s the template she has laid down for many to follow.”

Track and field analyst Trishana McGowan, who was Fraser-Pryce’s training partner at MVP Track and Field Club, says her outstanding performances will not be the only things that will be treasured.

MCGOWAN…she has done not just amazing for herself but represented the nation extremely wel

“She has done not just amazing for herself but represented the nation extremely well,” McGowan said. “The smile at the start, her warmth, her great interviews, her continued motivation, the coloured hair we always look out for at the championships, will be missed. Her impact is great but, similar to Bolt with how his presence and charisma was missed when he retired, it will be the same for Shelly.”

McGowan says Fraser-Pryce winning gold in Paris should not be ruled out.

“She will want to go out with a bang, and if she isn’t on top of the podium with gold, she will represent well,” she said. “The gold medal will be tough — not because of her race but because of the quality in the field — but she’s done it so many times and has surpassed expectations since 2008; she did so in 2019 after returning to the track after giving birth. It’s all possible. She knows how to win and she competes for that moment.”