Jamaican runner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce becomes first mum to win 100m world title
On Sunday, 32-year-old Jamaican runner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the first mum and oldest woman to win a 100m world title at the World Championships in Doha.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Jamaican runner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made history on Sunday as she won the 100 metre final at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, becoming the first mom ever to do so. At 32, she also became the oldest woman to clinch this victory. She completed the sprint in exactly 10.71 seconds, within just 0.01 seconds of her lifetime best.
Fraser-Pryce was joined by her two-year-old son, Zyon, on the field just moments after her victory. Speaking to CNN, she said,
“My secret is just staying humble and just know who you are as a person and athlete and just continue to work hard. It’s a wonderful feeling having my son witnessing this.”
Nicknamed ‘Pocket Rocket,’ Fraser-Pryce has made history multiple times, the first time being in 2008, when she became the first Caribbean woman to win the 100 metre gold at the Olympics. In 2012, she became the third woman to win two consecutive golds in the 100 metre event at the Olympics, and set her personal best record at 10.70 seconds. In 2016, she won the bronze at the Summer Olympics, and became the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic medals in the 100 metre category.
Fraser-Pryce went on a hiatus in 2017 to have her son, and her comeback at the IAAF World Championships in Doha has been nothing less than spectacular. She had an especially difficult pregnancy and early days of motherhood, as her son was born two months prematurely, and had to spend around a month in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“Standing here having done it again at 32, and holding my baby, is a dream come true,” Fraser-Pryce said, according to IAAF.
She also expressed her gratitude towards her husband Jason Pryce and her son for always having her back even when everyone else doubted her.
Fraser-Pryce also runs the Pocket Rocket Foundation, a non-profit organisation that gives out scholarships to student-athletes. So far, the Foundation has awarded full scholarships to 31 high school students across 11 sports categories.
(Edited by Rekha Balakrishnan)
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