TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 31: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Team Jamaica reacts winning the silver medal in … [+] the Women’s 100m Final on day eight of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 31, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
Three-time Olympic champion sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica has decided to retire after the 2024 Paris Games, saying she wants to spend more time with her family.
Fraser-Pryce, widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, won the 100m Olympic title in 2008, becoming the first Caribbean woman to win gold in the women’s 100m.
She successfully defended that title in 2012 and battled a toe injury to win a bronze in the 2016 Rio Olympics and a silver in the relay.
After giving birth to her son in 2017, Fraser-Pryce won another Olympic silver and a relay gold in Tokyo 2020.
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 07: Gold medal winners Briana Williams, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann … [+] Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson of Team Jamaica stand on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 07, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
My son needs me,” Fraser-Pyrce told Essence.com.
“My husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me. We’re a partnership, a team. And it’s because of that support that I’m able to do the things that I have been doing for all these years.
“And I think I now owe it to them to do something else.”
The 37-year-old is focusing on her preparation for the Olympics, which she said is about “pushing boundaries” and “showing people that you stop when you decide.”
“I want to finish on my own terms,” the Jamaican added.
As part of her training regimen, Fraser-Pryce is pacing herself after dealing with an injury, which hampered her chances for three straight world titles at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
She took bronze at the worlds, where she was bested by her teammate Shericka Jackson and by U.S. track star Sha’Carri Richardson.
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 01: (L-R) Silver medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, gold medalist Elaine … [+] Thompson-Herah and bronze medalist Shericka Jackson of Team Jamaica pose with their medals during the medal ceremony for the Women’s 100m Final on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 01, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Fraser-Pryce, who also has four Olympic silver medals and one bronze, became the oldest woman to the win the 100m world title when she took gold in Doha in 2019, and she reclaimed the crown in Eugene in 2022 at the age of 35.
“You can have an impact, and it’s important to show people that you can’t be selfish,” she said.
“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.”
