Sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will line up in a blockbuster women’s 100 metres at Friday’s Allianz Memorial Van Damme—the latest stop on the Diamond League circuit in Brussels, Belgium. The meet comes just weeks ahead of what will be her final World Championships in Tokyo this September.
Fraser-Pryce, who owns the meet record of 10.72 seconds, has competed sparingly this season. She clocked 11.05 seconds in her lone Diamond League outing in Doha on May 16, before posting a season’s best 10.91 at the Jamaican Trials on June 27.
In Brussels, the 38-year-old will face a formidable field that includes world leader Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who is undefeated in the 100m this year, reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson, Britain’s Daryll Neita, and Nigeria’s Favour Ofili.
Speaking at the pre-meet press conference, Fraser-Pryce reflected on her rollercoaster journey.
“After the disappointing Paris Games, I took my time to recover and rebuild,” she explained. “I am healthy and have trained hard over the past few months. I am ready to go for a sixth world title in Tokyo.”
She emphasized that tomorrow’s race will serve as a crucial test of her preparations:
“Good training alone is not enough, you also have to be able to translate that into competition. I want to nail my start on Friday, and I also want to see other technical details I have worked hard on translated into competition. A fast time would be a confidence booster, but the most important thing is the technical execution. Then the fast time will come naturally.”
The women’s 100m is set for 1:45 p.m. Jamaica time, preceded by the women’s 400m hurdles at 1:04 p.m., featuring Jamaican Andrenette Knight.
Meanwhile, Jamaican presence will also be felt across the field events. Shanieka Ricketts and Ackelia Smith are down for the women’s triple jump, Romaine Beckford contests the men’s high jump, Danniel Thomas-Dodd goes in the women’s shot put, and Ralford Mullings competes in the men’s discus.
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