What a twist in track and field drama!  Three-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, despite registering for the 200m race at the Jamaican Olympic Track and Field Trials in Kingston on June 29th, was conspicuously absent, resulting in a DNS (Did Not Start). This leaves America’s Sha’Carri Richardson and Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson among the top three medal contenders in the shorter sprint for Paris. However, the reason for Fraser-Pryce’s absence remains undisclosed, sparking speculation within the track and field community.

While,  at the age of 32, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce achieved the honor of representing Jamaica for the fifth time at the Olympics by finishing third in the women’s 100m race. In the competition, Shericka Jackson won with a time of 10.84 seconds. Tia Clayton came in a second at 10.90 seconds. Fraser Pryce took third place with a time of 10.94 seconds further solidifying her reputation as a 10-time world champion.

Even though Fraser-Pryce began her campaign strongly, winning her heat in 10.98 seconds and advancing through the semifinals with a time of 10.91 seconds before securing a podium finish in the final, expectations for her in the 200m event remained high. However, her unexpected absence left fans speculating and buzzing after news broke on X by Track and Field Gazette as they too shared their views.

Among the multiple comments, a few stood out. One fan remarked, “To be honest, I was surprised to see her on the 200m list.“This came after Thompson-Herah sustained an injury at the New York City Grand Prix on June 9th and had to be carried off the track. The injury, described as a ‘small tear on my Achilles tendon,’ dashed her hopes of competing in her third Olympics.

She expressed her disappointment as she says, ‘It’s a long road but I am willing to start over and keep working to make a full recovery and resume my track career. I am hurt and devastated to be missing the Olympics this year, but at the end of the day, it’s sports and my health comes first.‘ However, Jamaicans have dominated the women’s 100m at the Olympics, winning the last four gold medals.

Thompson-Herah herself claimed gold in both the 100m and 200m at Rio 2016 and successfully defended these titles in Tokyo five years later, adding a fifth Olympic gold as part of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team in Japan. In a similar tone one more added, “She’s probably preserving that knee!”

Another commenter observed, “Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce, after not finishing strong in the 100 meters, likely knows the 200 meters is beyond her at this stage of her career.” Despite her impressive personal bests of 10.60 in the 100m set in 2021 and 21.74 in the 200m. Meanwhile, another fan added, ‘She doesn’t want that American smoke,’ referring to Sha’Carri Richardson, who is currently in excellent form at the 2024 Olympics.

Richardson showed her form by placing first in the opening round of the women’s 200m with a season-best time of 21.99, marking the second-fastest time in the world this year. Advancing to the semi-finals Richardsons impressive performance comes after her win, in the 100m race with a leading time of 10.71 seconds. While excelling in the 100m remains her specialty Richardson was also aiming to earn a place on Team USA’s 200m team.

Despite her success, Richardson fell short of reaching the three in the final of the 200m race. The podium spots were secured by first time Olympians Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long leaving Richardson in place with a time of 22.16 seconds. As for Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s absence from the 200m event fans are left to wonder about the reasons behind her choice which may be revealed in time. What are your thoughts, on Fraser Pryce not competing? Feel free to share your opinions!