Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Reflects on Her Two Toughest American Rivals
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce reflects on the intense competition she faced against her toughest American rivals and the lessons she learned from it.
Legendary Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has opened up about her journey from Olympic champion to motherhood as she revealed the two toughest women she has raced against.
With an incredible 26 medals at the world level, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stands as one of the most decorated female athletes in history.
The 38-year-old icon concluded her illustrious career earlier this year, competing for the last time at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, where she secured a silver medal in the women’s 4x100m relay. Now, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is navigating the new chapter of her life: retirement.
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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Reveals Her Greatest Rivals
The Jamaican sprint queen has enjoyed a long career and throughout the years, competed against a series of rivals, some who retired a long time ago and others who are still competing.
“Are you calling me old? It would have to be the generation I started running with…Allyson Felix and Carmelita Jeter,” Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce told the Sportstar.
“That was really competitive because there was no room for mistakes. You couldn’t have a year where you just took things easily. They made every race competitive.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: Competing Against Her Son, Zyon
When it comes to racing her own son, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce applies the same tough-love approach she does during the parents’ race at her son’s school.
“I’ve raced my son a couple of times, and I didn’t allow him to win. He’s not going to learn anything that way,” she said.
Zyon is currently passionate about football, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is learning to be a supportive parent from the sidelines.
“I think what’s hard for me as an athlete is to understand that I have to be a mom first for him,” she confessed. “I’m tempted when he’s on the field to say kick the ball or pass the ball or shoot, and then he’ll come to me and say, ‘Mommy, just calm down.’”
While she has offered to coach him if he ever pursues track, her son is hesitant. “He’s like, ‘No. Please remember, I’m just a kid.’ He actually thinks I’m going to be training him too hard,” she shared.
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“Personally, I really just want to walk alongside him on the journey… I just allow him to lead in terms of what he likes.”
After an illustrious 18-year career, legendary sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is embracing a new chapter, trading the starting blocks for school runs and football matches.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Her Retirement Journey
The Jamaican icon reflects on her final season, the emotional transition away from the sport she loves, and the rewarding new role of being a full-time mother.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s farewell tour did not unfold exactly as planned. An injury at the Budapest World Championships forced her to dig deep for the Olympic year, a challenge that ended in the heartbreak of withdrawing from the 100m semifinals in Paris.
“It was hard,” she admitted. “The reality of not being able to get to the line was hard. I had worked so hard to get to that moment… I would have preferred not going at all compared to working as hard as I did and then not even being able to stand in the line to contest the semifinals.”
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Despite the setbacks, she found a sense of closure at her final World Championships. While she finished sixth in the 100m, she walked away with a silver medal in the 4x100m relay, a satisfying conclusion to a storied career.
“I got the opportunity to step to the line, and I got to finish on my own terms,” Fraser-Pryce explained. “Finishing for me is really just knowing that I gave everything. I left everything on the track, and I walked away feeling satisfied with everything that I’ve been able to do.”
She added, “When I got to walk away from the World Championships with a medal, it was a great way to close that chapter. It might not have been a gold medal, but I’ve lined up with so many different women from so many different age groups. I made a final and I walked away with a medal.”
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