For over two decades, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has commanded the starting blocks with a level of precision and intensity few athletes have sustained. From her emergence in Osaka in 2007 to Olympic gold in Beijing and five individual 100m world titles, Fraser-Pryce has achieved longevity without retreating into safe performances. Injuries have come and gone, including the most recent setback in Paris, where she qualified for the Olympic semi-finals but was unable to compete. Yet in her fifth Olympic cycle, she remains, remarkably, a contender. Yet this week, as the National Championships unfold in Kingston, the tone will be unmistakably different.
There will be no future rounds to anticipate at this particular venue. No return next season. No second chances. This is the end of her domestic chapter. Fraser-Pryce will step onto the track for the last time in her homeland, and while the crowd may swell with nostalgia, she carries something sharper into this race. Unfinished business.
The 2025 Jamaican National Championships, held from 26 to 29 June at the National Stadium, serve not only as a final tribute to one of the sport’s most accomplished figures but also as a decisive qualifying event for the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo. This dual purpose adds complexity to what might otherwise be a farewell tour. For Fraser-Pryce, now 38, the stakes could not be clearer. The disappointment in Doha earlier this season has left a mark that only a powerful showing on home soil can begin to erase. She ran 11.05 seconds in the Qatari heat. Her fastest of the year. But finished fourth, undone by a late-stage fade that appeared to catch even her by surprise.
It is from that experience that her final appearance in Kingston gains its urgency. Fraser-Pryce has never been one to chase empty headlines or indulge in sentimentality. But when she addressed supporters and sponsors at a Nike-hosted gathering on Monday, her words revealed the contours of what this moment means. “In the next two days, it will be my final time gracing the National Stadium. Honestly, it’s one of those moments that I’m looking forward to,” she said plainly, adding that she viewed the occasion not with apprehension, but opportunity, “I have absolutely nothing to lose and all to gain.” Such language speaks not to resignation but to an athlete aware of both the limits of time and the possibility of renewal, however brief, through competition.
On Thursday, she will line up for the 100m heats. The final is scheduled for Friday. Whether this last stand culminates in triumph or merely serves as a symbolic exit, the truth lies in her preparation. Fraser-Pryce is not racing to recapture old glory. She is racing to affirm her place among a generation she helped shape, one that includes athletes half her age who have studied her form, her starts, and her composure under pressure. She does not need to win to prove she still belongs. But redemption, particularly after Doha, requires more than presence. It demands performance. That remains her aim. And for those who understand the rhythms of this sport, that ambition, pursued in the fading light of a long and decorated career, is enough to make this final run unforgettable. Meanwhile, Fraser-Pryce can take heart from the fact that she completed a double back in 2023 in this very competition.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce outpaced as Shericka Jackson takes control of the sprint throne
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s 2023 campaign was always going to be different. Lighter on races, heavier on intent. But when she lined up against Shericka Jackson in the 200m final at the Jamaican National Championships in Kingston, the reigning 100m world champion faced the kind of test she had once routinely aced. On Sunday night, under the National Stadium lights, Fraser-Pryce’s explosive start wasn’t enough to hold off the surging Jackson, who stormed past to win in a world-leading 21.71 seconds. Fraser-Pryce followed in 22.26s, well behind the mark she had once considered routine.
Oregon , United States – 21 July 2022; Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, left, who won gold and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, who won silver celebrate after the Women’s 200m final during day seven of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA. (Photo By Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
It was only her second race of the season, and while her trademark start gave early hope, Jackson’s strength on the curve and drive down the home stretch made it clear that the gap had closed, if not flipped. Fraser-Pryce still secured second place and a ticket to Budapest, where she holds a wild card for the 100m and now has a spot in the 200m as well. But this was no victory lap. It was a warning call that Jackson, five years her junior, is not just knocking on the door but breaking through it.
Jackson, calm and clinical, made it clear she was only focused on her own race. “I just need to focus on my lane, and I think I did that tonight coming out victorious,” she said. For Fraser-Pryce, the road to another sprint double just got steeper and far more interesting.
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