(BBC) Jamaica’s two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has become the second-fastest woman in history after running 10.63 seconds in Kingston.
The 34-year-old, who also won world gold at Doha 2019, streaked clear to win a national trials warm-up event in Kingston yesterday. Only American legend Florence Griffith-Joyner has run faster.
Griffith-Joyner scorched to a world record 10.49 seconds in 1988 before retiring less than a year later.
Fraser-Pryce’s time eclipses the 10.72 seconds run by American Sha’Carri Richardson as the fastest time in the world this year. It is an improvement of 0.07 seconds on her previous personal best of 10.70, set in 2012.
Fraser-Pryce, who took more than a year out of the sport around the birth of her son in 2017, admitted she surprised herself with her time.
“Honestly, no, I wasn’t coming out here to run that fast,” she said. “Thank God that I finish healthy.
“There was no pressure – I just wanted to get one more race in before the national trials.”
The result will increase the anticipation for the event at the Olympics in Tokyo this summer. In addition to Fraser-Pryce and 21-year-old newcomer Richardson, Rio 2016 champion Elaine Thompson-Herah and Britain’s world silver medallist Dina Asher-Smith have also put in impressive performances this season.
Fraser-Pryce will run at the Jamaican Championships later in June before setting her sights on the Tokyo 100m final on 31 July.
All-time fastest – Women’s 100m
Florence Griffith-Joyner (US)10.49 seconds
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jam)10.63
Carmelita Jeter (US)10.64
Marion Jones (US)10.65
Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jam)10.70
Sha’Carri Richardson (US)10.72
