Today, August 17, 2019, marks the 11th anniversary of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s first world title – Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Fraser-Pryce, in her first Olympic Games, qualified from the first round with 11.35 seconds. She ran 11.06 seconds and 11.00 seconds in the sei-finals.
In the final, Fraser dropped a then-personal best of 10.78 seconds.
“I remember I had lost a lot of races going into those championships,” she says. “But once I got to the championships, I was excited and looking forward to a great competition. In the final I had the fastest start, and I led from start to finish.”
Now 32 and the mother of a two-year-old, Fraser-Pryce is currently having to balance family duties with her athletics career.
“My son has separation anxiety,” she said. “Before I set off for here, he was crying and holding on to my suitcase.
“It’s hard for me as a mum to leave him, but it’s something I have to do, a sacrifice,” she said. “It’s something I have to get used to as an athlete.”
