Jamaican sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has finally confirmed that the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo marked her last competitive outing on the global stage. After nearly two decades of dominance, the three-time Olympic champion and ten-time world champion has decided to draw the curtain on her glittering career.
Fraser-Pryce reached the women’s 100m final in Tokyo, clocking 11.03 seconds for a sixth-place finish. Earlier in the competition, she had shown her class by advancing strongly through the heats and semifinals. She also played a vital role in Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team, where her flawless opening leg helped secure a silver medal behind Team USA. The relay silver became the final medal of her decorated career, bringing her journey full circle, as her very first World Championship medal was also a relay silver in Japan back in 2007.
The 37-year-old sprinter admitted that she still had the legs to post fast times but insisted she wanted to bow out on her own terms. She revealed that her farewell season was motivated by a desire to leave the sport with dignity and to give her team one last memorable performance. Fraser-Pryce said she was proud to have led her teammates and expressed gratitude for the love and support she has received throughout her career.
Her story began with a historic triumph at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she became the first Caribbean woman to win Olympic gold in the 100m. She went on to defend her title at London 2012, later adding bronze in Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020, making her the only sprinter to win individual medals in four straight Olympic Games. Alongside her individual brilliance, she also collected multiple relay medals, including Olympic gold in the 4x100m.
At the World Championships, Fraser-Pryce’s record is unmatched: ten golds, six silvers, and a bronze. She remains the only sprinter to win five world titles in the 100m and the first woman to complete a sprint triple of the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m in a single championship. In 2022, she became the oldest sprinter to win a world title at 35, underlining her extraordinary longevity.
Now stepping away from competition, Fraser-Pryce leaves behind one of the greatest legacies in athletics. Her farewell in Tokyo was not just the end of a career but the celebration of a sprinting icon whose achievements will inspire generations to come.
