A victory of motherhood.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica at the Beijing 2015 IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, in Beijing, China, 24 August 2015
Introducing Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 32-year-old Jamaican sprinter who was newly crowned as one of the greatest women of all time by becoming the fastest woman in the world. She won first place in the women’s 100-meter category with a phenomenal time of 10.71 seconds ahead of Dina Asher-Smith (10.93 seconds) from Great Britain and Ivory Coast’s Marie Josee Ta-Lou (10.90 seconds) at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
This marked her fourth world championship title in the discipline and eighth world title overall.
At the age of 32, Shelly-Ann became the oldest woman to ever win a world or Olympic title for the 100-meter dash.
She is also the first mother to have achieved this honor. Just 13 months after giving birth to son Zyon, Shelly-Ann returned to the track blazed her way to victory. this win was especially poignant for Shelly-Ann because her firstborn was there to witness her victory. Seconds after her big win, she took Zyon around the field for a victory lap.
This heartwarming scene with her son contrasts greatly with the moment two years ago when Shelly-Ann first received the news that she was pregnant – she cried.
Unsure of what to do at that time, she spent two hours in bed after skipping practice, afraid she would not be able to perform well after giving birth. According to the Associated Press, she also had to deal with critics who doubted her ability to run in the future. However, thanks to the support of her long-time boyfriend turned hubby, Jason Pryce, she continued to push on with her training. When she went into labor and watched the 2017 World Championships go by, she felt blessed to be receiving a lifetime gold medal by giving birth to her son, Zyon. While yes, it was tough getting back in shape after becoming a mom, Shelly-Ann worked hard and stayed focused to reach her goal. The recent world championship proves it all!
Shelly-Ann’s running pedigree has been established since the start of her career when became the first Caribbean woman to win the gold medal for the 100-meter category in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She followed this with another win at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Regardless of victories, Shelly-Ann continues to always stay grounded.
