Paris will be Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's last Olympics. The Jamaican sprinter has decided to retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics, citing family reasons. A proper sprint legend, the 37-year-old will be looking to end her career on a dominating note.

Beijing impact and huge rise

Born in Kingston, Shelly-Ann Fraser was a gifted sprinter from a very young age, and was active in the youth athletics scene. She made a huge impact at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, where she became the first woman from the Caribbean to win 100m gold. Then at London 2012, she clinched gold again as she successfully defended her title.

Due to injury issues, where she was dealing with chronic inflammation in her big toe, she got bronze at Rio 2016, and then bagged silver in 2021, making her the first 100m sprinter to win individual medals in four consecutive Olympics.

She has also dominated at the Worlds, winning a total of 10 golds and five silver medals across various events. She won five 100m titles (2009, 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2022), and was also the first woman to complete the individual 100m and 200m sprint double, and also come out on top in the 4x100m relay at the Moscow 2013 edition. At the 2022 Eugene World C'ships, she made history, by becoming the oldest sprinter ever to win a world title, at 35.

Suspension and motherhood break

In 2010, she got a six-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance, a pain killer given to her by her coach for toothache. She accepted responsibility for oversight. She also missed the 2017 Worlds as she gave birth to her son Zyon.

What did she say?

Speaking on her journey, she has said in the past, "Mentally, it was even harder because you are 30; you are worried about coming back and not really being at the same level. For athletics and women it is hard to come back to sprinting. I remember in 2018 when I was getting back, I did not have enough power coming out of the blocks and over the first 30 metres."

In her warm-up to the Paris Olympics, she pulled out of the 100m event at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern in Switzerland.

Earlier, in an interview, she spoke on her retirement decision and said, "My son needs me. My husband (Jason) and I have been together since before I won in (Beijing) 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."

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