Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is determined to win the title in Paris. The Jamaican athlete had announced back in February that she would call it a day and retire after the Paris Olympics. But, she does not intend to go quietly at all. As the bard says, “All’s well that ends well”. She intends to give her career the ending it deserves by taking center stage in the finals. Her career has always been full of highs and barely any lows.

When she was 22, she qualified for the Jamaican team of the 2008 Belgium Olympics. This was met with huge backlash as many described her inclusion as young and inexperienced. But, this did not deter her a single bit. She would make all her critics chew their words up. The athlete sent shockwaves in the world of sport after winning the gold medal in the 100-meter race. Even the most experienced sports analysts couldn’t have predicted this outcome. She would then go on to repeat this achievement in the 2012 London edition and also win the silver medal in the 200 meters and the 4x 100 meter relay. In total, she has amassed eight medals in her Olympics career. Her name will always remain synonymous with the sport.

Fraser-Pryce was born in Jamaica, same as another track star of our time who is often considered the greatest to ever do it. His name is Usain Bolt. She was born in Kingston and has credited a lot of her childhood for shaping her up as a human being. Let’s look at her upbringing closely.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s childhood in Jamaica

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Her neighborhood was called Waterhouse. It was not an easy place to grow up as it barely had anyone for her to look up to. Her house was within a group of homes which was named Tenement yard. She used to live with her mother and two brothers. The accommodation wasn’t really great as they only had one before where four people in which four people had to sleep. They had to adjust in that which was an arduous task. She had to bath outside her house, during which her mother kept strict vigilance.

Most girls in her neighborhood would be sent to a good school to undertake their education. However, most of them wouldn’t pass the exams and would be stuck in same grade. Many boys would be doctrinated into gangs and leave school to smoke and loiter around. Some girls would even get pregnant at that age. This was why her mother was very protective of her as leaving her there would have had calamitous effects in her life.

Fraser-Pryce was so ashamed of her neighborhood that she wouldn’t tell people in her school where she lived. She would get off at a different bus stop while traveling. She was also ashamed of her mother’s career who was a vendor. Sometimes, her mother would come into her classroom to sell stuff which would be embarrassing to her. She would hide under her bench when this happened. But, she realized her sacrifices for her to do well in life when she grew up. She acknowledged her efforts to give her a better life. This was one of the main reasons that she would become a model human being and inspiration to million girls worldwide.

Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce’s eventual steering into her track an field career

As long as she could remember, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce has been running. Her earliest memory of it is when she was three and there was an earthquake in her school. While the tremors were ongoing, she ran straight from the school to her house. She was nicknamed Merlene Ottey by her neighborhood due to this. Ottey is a former Jamaican sprinter who won nine Olympic medals. Her mother always believed that track and field would lead her to having a good life. She was the first one to motivate her into a potential career there.While she was never really sold on the idea to become a sprinter, she decided to focus on it on the insistence of everyone around her.

It was only after the 2007 World Championships in Japan that she decided that this was her calling. She was mesmerized by the variety of emotions shown by the participating athletes. Just one year later, she would go on to shock the world in Beijing. As she closes the curtains on her storied career, it is important to acknowledge the impact she has made to the sport. One thing remains certain, there will never be another Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.