Comparing Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce to Usain Bolt’s World Record Season, Jamaican Coach Demands Proper Send Off

Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce clocked a striking 10.67s in 100m at the 2022 World Championships. That year saw her repeatedly clocking 10.6s in almost every race. Her coach, Reynaldo Walcott, recently stated that is equivalent to Usain Bolt running 9.6 in every race. Now looking forward to competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce has declared that this would be her last Olympic run. Interestingly, Usain Bolt was lately seen citing Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce as an example to the track and field industry.

In an interview with Athletics Weekly in March 2024, the 8x gold medalist said, “I watch the girls compete like Shelly-Ann, I get nervous… And my coach always said if Shelly-Ann could be doing it still you could.” Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Usain Bolt share a common geographical background and are of the same age. But, Walcott thinks, despite that, the two do not get similar recognition.

Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce comparison

Walcott was interviewed by The Citius Mag Founder lately. Referring to Shelly-Ann’s striking records, he said, “I remember Shelly-Ann doing 10.6 in almost every meet that she ran. It would be almost equivalent to Bolt running 9.6 in every meet that he ran…I think that Shelly-Ann put together the greatest season in 2022…But do you have the impression that that season was celebrated or recognized, as it probably should have been?”

The Jamaican coach questioned everyone who was only glorifying Usain Bolt as a track and field sprinter. Also elaborating on this matter on YouTube, the Elite Performance Track Club’s coach gave away his justification for why Shelly Ann-Fraser’s brilliance should be lauded more. Coaching one of the fastest women in history since 2020, with the Paris Olympics on the horizon, Reynaldo Walcott has helped guide her to her fifth world title in the 100m in 2022 and lowered her personal best to 10.60, which puts her at No. 3 on the world all-time list. But where do Shelly-Ann head after her retirement?

Full focus on family thereafter

Wanting to focus on her family now, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce has lately announced her retirement from the competitive sport. She has also put up that the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics would be her last run and she would not leave any stone unturned to grab the gold medal this season. The reason of her retirement, which she explains is her diversion towards her family.

Read More: Having Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as Inspiration, Usain Bolt Set to Return to the Olympics, But It’s Not What You Think

“There’s not a day I’m getting up to go practice and I’m like, I’m over this. My son needs me. My husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me. We’re a partnership, a team. And it’s because of that support that I’m able to do the things that I have been doing for all these years. And I think I now owe it to them to do something else,” said one of the strongest woman contenders for the track and field sprints in the Paris Olympics, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce.

Read More: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Ahead of Her Final Olympic Run Unveils Her Ultimate Passion Backed by $157 Billion Company