'Icing on cake' - Fraser-Pryce ends illustrious career with world silver

2 weeks ago

Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce smiles aft competing astatine nan World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo

ByHarry Poole

BBC Sport journalist successful Tokyo

Passing nan baton - rather virtually - to nan adjacent generation, pinch 1 last badge secured, an icon bowed out.

Back successful Japan, nan federation wherever she made her first quality connected nan world shape 18 years ago, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made nan 25th - and past - world podium of her illustrious career.

Nine world championships and 5 Olympic Games later, nan 38-year-old signed disconnected successful Tokyo by helping a Jamaican quartet featuring 21-year-old copy sisters Tia and Tina Clayton to world 4x100m silver.

As she posed for photos pinch her adoring fans successful nan stands, location was nary uncertainty nan grounds five-time world 100m champion had departed nan athletics arsenic a legend.

The astir dressed up female 100m sprinter successful history, Fraser-Pryce has missed conscionable 1 of nan sport's past 15 awesome world competitions.

That azygous absence came astatine nan World Championships successful London successful 2017, when, 1 time aft nan 100m final, she gave commencement to her boy Zyon.

"I person had an astonishing profession and today's badge is nan icing connected nan cake," said Fraser-Pryce, nan third-fastest female successful history pinch a individual champion of 10.60 seconds.

"My boy will beryllium excited. Today is simply a afloat circle infinitesimal for me, I was a reserve astatine my first world championships successful Japan successful 2007. I couldn't person it immoderate different way.

"I americium grateful for nan medals, nan stadiums and nan crowds wherever I person competed passim my career.

"I person immoderate plans and I want to attraction connected advocacy, and support women and athletes. I want to proceed to make an impact."

Media caption,

USA triumph women's 4x100m to unafraid 3rd relay gold

Fraser-Pryce would make 5 world podiums pursuing her comeback arsenic a mother, including winning back-to-back world 100m titles arsenic she wrote her sanction into nan history books.

She became nan oldest female to declare a 100m world title successful 2019, extending that grounds by 3 years aged 35 successful Eugene,

A two-time Olympic 100m champion, Fraser-Pryce said anterior to nan 2024 Olympic Games that she "owes" it to her family to retire.

However, she was incapable to execute nan fairytale ending she had hoped for.

Having withdrawn earlier her 100m semi-final, she later revealed a disruption to her pre-race regular caused a panic onslaught aft she struggled to summation introduction to nan warm-up track.

Known arsenic nan 'The Pocket Rocket', nan diminutive five-foot gangly Fraser-Pryce was wished to extremity things connected her ain position this year.

She was capable to do conscionable that, finishing sixth successful nan 100m last - still wrong 0.19 seconds of a podium consisting of athletes aged astatine slightest 14 years her inferior - earlier bowing retired connected nan podium.

"I person fixed truthful overmuch to this sport," Fraser-Pryce said aft nan 100m.

"A batch of group mightiness mobility why travel backmost [after giving birth], but I deliberation it is truthful important to decorativeness connected your ain terms.

"Last twelvemonth I didn't get that opportunity, it was truthful hurtful, and for maine it was conscionable a large blessing to beryllium capable to do that. Maybe, erstwhile I caput home, I will person each nan feels."

The effect she has was instantly evident some earlier and aft nan 100m.

Japan's sold-out 60,000-capacity National Stadium unleashed nan type of roar that had different been reserved for nan big nation's ain athletes erstwhile Fraser-Pryce was announced to nan crowd.

Afterwards, 24-year-old victor Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who went connected to go nan first female since Fraser-Pryce successful 2013 to triumph 100m and 200m golden astatine nan aforesaid world championships, said she had been inspired by nan Jamaican arsenic a child, adding: "Shelly-Ann is nan top of each time."

The tributes to Fraser-Pryce person continued passim nan past 9 days, arsenic chap athletes took nan opportunity to admit her historical achievements.

Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt, of course, has thing but respect for his compatriot.

His only complaint, he says, is that Fraser-Pryce has kept going agelong capable to make him look bad, 8 years aft he retired aged 30.

"There are nary words to explicate really awesome Shelly-Ann is," Bolt told BBC Sport.

"She's a fable successful my book, she has proven again and again that she is 1 of nan champion successful nan world.

"She left, had a kid, came backmost to nan athletics and still dominated.

"I'm happy to cognize and to spot this greatness."

Trinidadian erstwhile world 200m champion Ato Boldon said: "I deliberation it is nan 100m profession by which each others will beryllium measured.

"I deliberation she is nan top 100m sprinter of each time."