EUGENE, Oregon, CMC – Legendary Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce said she remained highly motivated and “hungry to do more” after claiming an historic fifth 100 metres World title at age 35 here Sunday night.
The pint-sized Fraser-Pryce raced to a superb championship record of 10.67 at Hayward Field as she led her country’s sweep of the podium, Shericka Jackson taking silver in 10.73 and Elaine Thompson-Herah claiming bronze in 10.81.
“I’m a competitor. I love to compete. I believe that God has given me a gift and I somehow feel special, and I always want to compete and show the work that I have been doing,” Fraser-Pryce told media moments after her victory.
“I’m hardworking and I’m driven and I’m always hungry to do more because I [always] believe there is more to be done.
“I definitely believe I can run fast and once I have that belief, I’m not going to stop until I do.”
Fraser-Pryce won her first-ever global title at age 21 in the 100 metres at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and followed up the very next year with her first 100 metres World title in Berlin.
Since then, the amicable sprinter has gone on to dominate sprinting, adding World titles in Moscow, Beijing and Doha, before producing her fireworks here in the Pacific Northwest.
Fraser-Pryce was forced to play second fiddle to Thompson-Herah with silver at last year’s Tokyo Olympics and though it left many questioning her future in the sport, she said she had remained focussed.
“There are a lot of expectations I’m sure but that has nothing to do with me. I’m just focussed on running my race and following the instructions of my coach,” she pointed out.
“If I sit and worry about the opinions of 20 other people then I’ll never hear the voice I need to hear and that’s my own voice and my coach’s voice.
“So I focus on those two things and I eliminate [everything] else, and I get to the line and I compete.”
She added: “For me, I hope it shows them age doesn’t change anything. You can be in your 20s, you can be in your 30s and you can still accomplish greatness so you just have to believe in yourself, trust your instincts and your gut, listen to your coach, show up and compete.”
Only last month, Fraser-Pryce signalled her best form when she raced to 10.67 at the Paris Diamond League before clocking 10.70 at the National Championships in Kingston.
And she said being able to dip below 10.70 had been especially pleasing, especially amidst the pressure of big races.
“I’m glad I was able to do it again. Championships for me are weird,” she explained.
“You’re thinking about so many things and you just want to win for a lot of people so technically sometimes you’re going to be off but to come away with a win is good.
“I have another 100 to run in Poland so I’m definitely looking forward to that and hopefully [in] different conditions which are a lot more relaxed and hopefully you can have a better execution.”
She added: “The conditions are intense [at major championships] and it’s very different because you’re focused on just getting out and running [and] getting to the line first.
“So definitely it wasn’t technically the best race so hopefully I will be able to put that together in other meets.”