Five-time world 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce believes if she can have a race on Friday where everything comes together, getting below 10.6 is possible.
The 35-year-old Jamaican has run a record six times below 10.70 so far this season with a seventh on the cards when she lines up against a stacked field that includes compatriots Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson in the blue-riband sprint at the Athletissima Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on Friday.
It was at Lausanne in 2021 where she ran a lifetime best of 10.60.
Speaking at the pre-meet press conference on Thursday, the fastest woman in the world this year said her extraordinary consistency this season has been the result of constant practice and trust in her improved technique.
“When I started the season, I ran 10.6 in Kenya and I was shocked because I travelled all the way from Kingston and I was a bit tired but my execution was good and I realized the key to running fast and having consistent times is making sure I practice my technique,” she said, “and then to be able to have that consistency is wonderful and it shows that your hard work and staying true to your technique actually works.”
Since her last race in Monaco on August 10, when she ran a world-leading 10.62, Fraser-Pryce spent the last two weeks enjoying a bit of downtime celebrating the birthdays of her son Zyon and her husband Jason, as well as getting in some practice before taking on the final Diamond League races of the season.
Now back in Europe for the culmination of a long season and an eye on a fifth Diamond League title, the two-time Olympic champion, believes she still has a faster time in her tiring legs.
In May, she revealed that she was targeting 10.5 or 10.4 before the end of the 2021/2022 season. On Thursday, she said she doesn’t need a perfect race for that to happen.
“I don’t think a perfect race exists because there is always something but I want to have one of those races that everything works together or something that doesn’t work I am able to counter that at 60 or 70 so watching the races and having my coach telling me what’s happening, if I am able to fix or tweak a few things then I will be able to run faster than 10.6,” she said.
In addition to her compatriots, Fraser-Pryce will be lining up in the 100m against Africa’s fastest woman Marie Jose Ta Lou, European 100m silver medallist Majinga Kambundji as well as Americans Twanisha Terry, Aleia Hobbs and Tamari Davis.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Tarees Rhoden (1:45.97) and Oneka Wilson (12.87) run personal bests to win 800m, 100m hurdles gold at ACC Outdoor Championships
Jamaica now has another man under 1:46.00 in the 800m in the form of Clemson senior Tarees Rhoden.
Rhoden ran a personal best 1:45.97 to claim gold at the ACC Outdoor Championships in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday.
Wake Forest junior Rynard Swanepoel ran 1:46.69 for second while Virginia senior Shane Cohen ran 1:46.89 in third.
The 23-year-old former Kingston College standout, who was eighth in the final last season, entered Saturday’s race with a personal best of 1:46.20 done last April.
Clemson also took gold in the women's 100m hurdles through Jamaican sophomore Oneka Wilson who ran a brilliant personal best 12.87 to win ahead of Florida State's Alexandra Webster (13.04) and Duke's Skyla Wilson (13.26).
Wilson's previous personal best 13.00 was done on Friday in the prelims.
Coach pleased as St John’s Primary student Perez Pearson shines at INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Central Athletics Championships
The outstanding display of sportsmanship by 12-year-old St John’s Primary student Perez Pearson at Wednesday’s grand final of the Central Championships under the umbrella of the 42nd staging of the Devon Biscuits/Institute of Sports (INSPORTS) All-Island Primary Schools Athletics Championships, has been commended by his coach Jermaine Miller.
Pearson finished tied for first place Male Overall Champion with Ricardo Granville of Naggo Head Primary.
“Perez is a multi-faceted student and he always had other areas to give of his time. However, his time management and the support he has at home, is really top notch and that has helped him to create the necessary balance that needed to succeed,” Miller said in a media release.
Pearson, who is also the head boy at his school, won first place in the long jump as well as in the Boys 9-13 800 Sprint Medley Open finals.
Said Miller, “I am extremely happy and proud of his execution in all his events. His performance, especially in the long jump showed he has good composure under pressure as well, as it displayed his competitive nature.”
Miller has been Pearson’s coach for the past two years. He believes the young athlete can excel at the high school level.
“For sure, he will continue track and field going into high school. He is a brilliant youngster academically and he has high ambitions of becoming a pilot. So, I’m hopeful that he will continue in the sport after high school. If he does, I am confident that he will reach the national and international level and do well at whatever he does,” Miller disclosed.
According to Pearson’s mother Tamara Woodhouse he lost his father at the age of five. She said the elder Pearson had wanted his son to do well in academics and sports.
“If his father was alive, he would have been so proud of him. He always wanted him to do anything in sports and academics while being involved in school activities. I have been supportive of his sporting activities, I’m always at his track meets, and every event that he takes part in. I also make sure he has his gears,” said Woodhouse.
Woodhouse, who resides in Willowdene in Spanish Town, said she is ecstatic about her son’s achievements.
“It was a good performance. I was excited, overjoyed and nervous at the same time whenever he ran,” she said.
She shared that his interest in sports started in the third grade.
“I think he was in the third grade when he began to take it seriously, but it wasn’t until he was in grade five that he started to run. This is his second year participating in the Central champs. Last year, someone ran past him at the finishing line, and he said he would never let that happen to him again.”
Sherene Bryan, brand manager for title sponsor Devon Biscuits, said that Pearson’s achievements augurs well for the brand and what it represents.
“It was an easy decision for us to come on board. We recognize the importance of supporting, fostering and encouraging the young athletes of tomorrow. They are the future. It starts right here, these are the stars of the future,” said Bryan.
Corinaldi Avenue Primary race to 13-point lead on penultimate day of INSPORTS/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Western Athletics Championships
Defending champion Corinaldi Avenue Primary of St James raced to a 13-point lead on the penultimate day of the INSPORTs/Devon Biscuits Primary Schools Western Athletics Championships on Friday.
After 11 finals, Corinaldi surged to 86.5 points ahead of Black River Primary of St Elizabeth on 73.5 and Howard Cooke Primary of St James sitting in third spot on 54 points. Brompton Primary of St Elizabeth are fourth with 50 points while Glen Stuart Primary completed the top five on 48 points.
The records continued to tumble but the star of the day was Santana Brown of Brompton who won two events the Girls Cricketball Open with 42.04m and returned later to capture the high jump with a record leap of 1.37m.
Her teammate Keneek Grove won the Boys’ Cricket ball Open with a record 64.67m ahead of Corinaldi’s Al-Jay Levy with 63.50m.
Brompton won three events and took an early while Howard Cooke won three relays all in record fashion. In fact, seven of the eight relay records were broken.
Howard Cooke won the Girls’ Class Four 4x100 in 1:02.49 and the Girls’ Class Two in 54.75, both in record fashion. They also won Boys’ Class One in 52.85 just outside the record of 52.19 held by Barracks Road since 2023.
Corinaldi Avenue won two relays in record style, the Boys’ Class Four in a record 58.05 and the Boys’ Class Three in 55.35.
Glen Stuart also won two relays in record fashion capturing the Girls’ Class Three 4x100 in 58.29 and the Boys’ Class Two in 55.25. Barracks Road Primary won the Girls Class One in a record 53.55.
There will be 29 finals tomorrow as teams fight to book their spots in the all-island finals dubbed the Nationals on May 20-22. Lyssons of St Thomas won the Eastern Championship and Naggo Head of St Catherine won the Central Championship.
The National champion will walk away with $600,000. Lyssons are the defending champions.
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