KINGSTON, Jamaica — Olympic and World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica has revealed that she still has big dreams she’s chasing and dismissed any idea of making retirement plans.
Dream of Running 10.60 and Break Into 21-seconds
The 34-year-old who won gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and is a nine-time World Championships gold medalist, says she is still chasing her dream of running 10.60 seconds for the 100m and sub-22 seconds for the 200m.
Fraser-Pryce, who is the joint No. 4 fastest all-time 100m female sprinter, holds a personal best of 10.70 seconds, and is the joint national record holder along with Elaine Thompson-Herah, while her lifetime best in the 200m is 22.09 seconds.
Chasing seems to be the only option against Usain Bolt(Opens in a new browser tab)
Only Americans Florence Griffith-Joyner (10.49 WR), Carmelita Jeter (10.64), and Marion Jones USA (10.65) have gone faster over the 100m than the woman nicknamed ‘the pocket rocket.’
“I want to run 10.6 in the 100m so that’s still a goal I am chasing,” Fraser-Pryce said during an interview with KLAS Scoreboard on Friday. “I want to run sub 22.00 seconds in the 200m, that’s still a goal I am chasing.”
She is currently the ninth-fastest Jamaican over the 200m and would become the seventh from her country to run under 22-seconds for the half-lap if she manages to reach that milestone.
I’m Not Following Usain Bolt, Says Fraser-Pryce
Fraser-Pryce, who rose to international prominence during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing when she surprisingly won the women’s 100m also discussed her retirement plans.
The long-serving Jamaican and world sprint legend revealed that she has not set a timeline for retirement and shun the idea of her following the path of countryman and world record holder Usain Bolt, who won eight Olympic gold medals and then retired from track and field at around the same age.
“If I have a timeline for retirement? No I don’t,” she said during the interview. “When I am finished I am finished.”
She added: “At the end of the day Usain is Usain and what he has accomplished is remarkable, but Usain and Shelly-Ann are two different persons, we have two different dreams, and two different expectations.
“My expectation is to run until I am finished. When I am finished I am finished,” she said while laughing.
Despite all her accomplishments, Fraser-Pryce said she never takes anything for granted, especially since she didn’t expect to achieve so much in the first place.
“God is good,” she acknowledged. “I never take anything for granted….When I show up (to compete) I always give of my best.”
The 2014 World Indoor 60m champion said she has learned from her failures and constantly reminds herself that “you have the tools you need to be successful.”
“That has to be my perspective,” she added.
Fraser-Pryce will be hoping to return to the top of the podium at this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, after finishing with a bronze medal in the women’s 100m behind countrywoman Thompson-Herah, who will be defending her 100m and 200m sprint double crown at the Rio 2016 Games.
