Jamaican sprinter becomes the second-fastest woman of all time ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce emerged from relative anonymity in 2008, fighting through the country’s ultracompetitive national trials to earn a spot in the Beijing Olympics, where she set a personal-best time of 10.78 seconds while leading Jamaica to a sweep in the women’s 100-meter final.
Thirteen years later, the former underdog is now one of the most decorated sprinters of all time. Ahead of next month’s Tokyo Games, the 34-year-old will not catch anyone by surprise, especially after a blistering performance Saturday that left her behind only U.S. legend Florence Griffith Joyner as the second-fastest woman ever.
The two-time Olympic champion ran the 100 in 10.63 seconds at a national trials warmup event in Kingston, giving her the fastest time in 33 years and the fourth best in history. Griffith Joyner set the three fastest times (10.49, 10.61 and 10.62) in 1988.
“Coming out here today, I never expected I would run 10.6, and I think that’s a good thing because there was no pressure. I just wanted to get one run in before national championships, and that’s what I was looking forward to,” Fraser-Pryce told reporters after the race. “I’m at a loss for words because 10.6 has been a dream, a goal. I’ve been working so hard, been so patient and to see it finally unfold, I’m just ecstatic.”
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/06/05/jamaican-sprinter-second-fastest-woman-ever/
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