1D54D74C4B788B01A39CE8E6899019C7 Jamaica’s ‘Mommy Rocket’, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, is the fastest woman alive -->
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Jamaica’s ‘Mommy Rocket’, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, is the fastest woman alive

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‘So much accomplished, yet so much more to go’

Originally published on Global Voices

Jamaica's Women's 4x100m Relay Team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow, Scotland. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (R), was part of the gold medal-winning team, which also included Kerron Stewart, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Schillone Calvert. Photo by Marc on Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

On a warm Saturday afternoon at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica, two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the second fastest woman in history to win the 100 metres, breaking Jamaica’s national record of 10.70 with a blazing 10.63-second run.

The aptly-named “Pocket Rocket” (Fraser-Pryce is just five feet tall), has now acquired the moniker “Mommy Rocket” — the 34-year-old sprinter returned to the track just nine months after giving birth to her son, Zyon, in 2017.

After the June 5 race, Fraser-Pryce tweeted:

She told reporters in Kingston:

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.

This was the world’s fastest women’s 100m since American Florence Griffith Joyner won at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, where she gained three gold medals. However, many Jamaicans discounted the late “Flo-Jo’s” record, citing her alleged drug use during this period:

Now third on the all-time list, retired American sprinter Carmelita Jeter, who had held the record since 2009 with a run of 10.64 — and whom Fraser-Pryce has regarded as her toughest rival — tweeted her congratulations:

Fellow Olympic medalist Usain Bolt added:

Jamaican sports fans were ecstatic at Fraser-Pryce's record-breaking win. A local sports journalist tweeted:

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness joined in:

Fraser-Pryce, from the inner city Kingston community of Waterhouse, is enormously popular in Jamaica. An engaging yet unassuming personality, she is admired as a hard-working athlete. One of her fans summed up her determined nature:

Seen as a role model by many Jamaicans, Fraser-Pryce is also a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF Jamaica. She has been using the platform to advocate for Jamaican children and mothers, often sharing motivational messages for women:

Fraser-Pryce is now focused on Jamaica's National Trials and beyond that, the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo. Meanwhile, family always plays an important role:

Whatever happens, Jamaicans know that the sprinter, who is not planning to retire just yet, will continue to make them proud.

Written by Emma Lewis



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