Meet Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Olympic legend and Netflix Sprint athlete chasing gold aged 37 at Paris 2024
SHELLY-ANN FRASER-PRYCE is a certified Olympic legend.
In Paris, she is bidding to enter the record books by becoming the most decorated female athletics Olympian of all time.
To do that she must add four more medals to her incredible tally of eight – at the age of 37.
But who is the Olympic legend who is one of the most famous names on the track?
Who is Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce?
The sprinter is one of the greatest Jamaican athletes of all time and ties Usain Bolt for the number of Olympic medals she has won.
She was born in Kingston, Jamaica on December 27, 1986 to parents Orane Fraser and Maxine Simpson.
Fraser-Pryce excelled at a young age and first made a name for herself at Champs when she won 100m bronze at the age of 16.
In 2006 she began attending the University of Technology in Jamaica where she met coach Stephen Francis, who had previously tutored another Jamaican Olympian, Asafa Powell.
She competed in her first Olympic Games in Beijing two years later where she won 100m gold.
Thanks to her illustrious career Fraser-Pryce was also documented in Netflix series ‘Sprint’, which was released earlier this month.
BBC's Olympics line-up in full
Presenters:
- Clare Balding
- Gabby Logan
- Hazel Irvine
- Isa Guha
- Jeanette Kwakye
- JJ Chalmers
- Mark Chapman
Studio guests:
- Beth Tweddle
- Chris Hoy
- Denise Lewis
- Fred Sirieix
- Jessica Ennis-Hill
- Kate Richardson-Walsh
- Katherine Grainger
- Laura Kenny
- Mark Foster
- Michael Johnson
- Nicola Adams
- Rebecca Adlington
- Tonia Couch
Radio:
- Adrian Chiles
- Eleanor Oldroyd
- Kelly Cates
- Mark Chapman
- Naga Munchetty
- Tony Livesey
Olympic and sporting record
Fraser-Pryce ranks joint-second in the list of most decorated Jamaican Olympians, one behind Merlene Ottey who won nine medals.
Bolt and fellow female sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown tie Fraser-Pryce on eight medals won.
Fraser-Pryce made it back-to-back 100m gold medals at London 2012 and won 4x100m relay gold at Tokyo 2020.
She also won 200m silver in London and boasts four Olympic silver medals in total, as well as one bronze in the 100m at Rio 2016.
And as well as shining in the Olympics, Fraser-Pryce has dominated the world stage at the World Athletics Championship since 2009.
She won her first 100m gold in Berlin in that year, before backing it up by winning the 4x100m relay.
In total Fraser-Pryce has 16 medals in the event – the second highest of any female athlete behind American Allyson Felix.
She has won an incredible 10 gold medals in 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay.
Don’t count her out
Paris will be Fraser-Pryce’s fifth Olympics – and she qualified for the 100m after finishing third in the Jamaica trials with a time of 10.94.
Her 100m personal best stands at 10.60 which she recorded just three years ago, and the legend does not just want to make up the numbers.
She told Eurosport: “It has been challenging but I was able to, with grit, perseverance and determination, secure a spot on the team and give myself the opportunity to represent Jamaica again at the Olympics.
“You can have an impact, and it’s important to show people you can’t be selfish.
“It’s not enough that we step on a track and we win medals.
“You have to think about the next generation that’s coming after you, and give them the opportunity to also dream – and dream big.”