RABAT – World and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will not compete at the 2016 IAAF Diamond League meeting in Rabat on 22 May, after her name was scratched from the list.
The two-time Olympic Games 100m champion was initially listed to race in the women’s short sprint against a very quality line-up, which had also included her training partner and fellow Jamaican Elaine Thompson.
However, Fraser-Pryce, who has been struggling with a small toe injury problem, has apparently not recovered fully from the injury and her coach Stephen Francis is taking no chances ahead of the big Games in Rio, later this summer.
The Jamaican has raced just twice so far this term – a 200m outing which she did in 23.24 secs and a 4x100m leg for Jamaica at the 2016 Penn Relays.
She also pulled out of the Jamaica International Invitational on 7 May and the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Shanghai with the injury the following week.
She burst on the scene with a shocking run to win the women’s 100m title at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, before going on to defending that title at the London Games in 2012.
The 29-year-old has also won seven IAAF World Championships titles outdoors, including three gold medals at the 2013 championships in Moscow, Russia.
With Fraser-Pryce, the fourth fastest woman over the 100m all-time, sidelined by injury, world championships 200m silver medallist Elaine Thompson will start as the woman to beat in Rabat.
The IAAF World Indoor 60m bronze medallist has been in great form so far this season, and has already posted a flashing 10.71 seconds, although this time was assisted by a 2.4 m/s wind.
Among the other starters with high hopes of winning the 100m at the Rabat IAAF Diamond League meeting – the third stop in the series – are Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, USA’s Carmelita and Alexandria Anderson and Jamaican Kerron Stewart.
