Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ranked fourth on the list of the fastest 100m female sprinters of all time, with a personal best of 10.70 seconds claimed her fourth world championship 100m gold medal title in Doha 2019 in a comeback filled with doubts and disbelief exactly 13months after child birth.
Fraser-Pryce who had her fair share of hardship growing up in a deprived community and poor family background dedicated her win at the IAAF world Athletics championship to encourage other women to reach for the top no matter their status.
She said ‘Here I am breaking barriers and just inspiring a nation of women to continue to dream and continue to believe that anything is possible if you believe you know. Hoping that I can give inspiration to all the women who are thinking about starting a family or currently starting a family and wondering if they can come back.”
The Olympian who had up to six combined Olympic and world 100m titles, won bronze at the 2016 olympics which left many doubting if she could remain a podium finisher going into her 30s.
Fraser-Pryce went three or four months before lifting a weight after childbirth. Once she returned to the track, she skipped practices here or there due to pain. In her first meet back in 2018, Fraser-Pryce clocked 11.52 seconds, eight tenths off her best but she kept practicing and made a time of 10.7 at the world championship.
The Jamaican shared the victory lap with her son as she became the first mom to win an Olympic or world 100m title in 24 years and the oldest woman (mother or not) to do it at age 32.
Fraser-Pryce created the Pocket Rocket Foundation, a scheme which supports high school athletes in difficult financial situations to get a proper education and keep on training.
