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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is one of the greatest to ever do it in track and field. However, the legendary Jamaican sprinter did not compete in the 100-meter event at the Olympics because of a ridiculous rule.
It was not an injury that led to her sudden withdrawal after all!
Fraser-Pryce won 19 gold medals in various track and field competitions over the course of her lengthy and well-decorated career. She won three gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal at four Olympic Games, dating back to Beijing in 2008. She had a fourth gold medal in her sights last summer.
This current season will be her final season of competition at 38 years old. 2024 was her last Olympics.
Although Fraser-Pryce dealt with an injury throughout much of last year, she was still expected to contend for a medal — ideally gold — in the 100-meter event in Paris. Sha’Carri Richardson, Julien Alfred and fellow Jamaican Shericka Jackson were the other three primary medal contenders. Jackson later withdrew from the race so a podium finish for the 37-year-old became even more realistic.
And then Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was denied access to the warm-up area through the main gate just a few hours before the semifinal and final rounds of competition…
She and Richardson chose not to stay at the Olympic Village. They stayed off-site, presumably in a hotel.
Upon arrival to the track, Fraser-Pryce and Richardson tried to enter through the same entry gate to which they arrived for previous rounds and for practice. There was just one issue. The Olympic organizers switched up the protocol between qualifying and semis. Any athlete who was not staying at the Village must enter through a separate gate. The rule change was made overnight without warning.
Neither sprinter was made aware of the new directive. They were both denied access upon arrival.
Both athletes had to walk to a different gate that was much further away. They could not enter through the same gate through which they had entered about 24 hours prior. Fraser-Pryce was equally as baffled by the denial as frustrated.
TF change rules!??? pic.twitter.com/DcMrhOYvoq
— Aljavaughnie (@MAljavonie52406) August 3, 2024
She withdrew from the event not too long thereafter. Everybody assumed it was an injury.
It was not! Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finally revealed the real story behind her surprising withdrawal during a recent conversation with Emily Abbate. The gate mix-up threw her off of her routine.
For a runner, every second, every inch, matters, and Fraser-Pryce didn’t want to expend extra energy to walk the longer distance to another gate while carrying a heavy bag. She waited for at least 30 minutes, allowing the crew manning the entrance to make some calls, thinking eventually she’d be let in. “It wasn’t like there were a hundred people trying to go through the gate,” she says. “Walking to another entrance meant going by pedestrians and other attendees walking.”
— Marie Claire Magazine
Fraser-Pryce typically arrives to the track with three hours before a race. Her denial at the gate caused her to lose an hour. Everything else was impacted by the delay.
Things are off, she can feel it. During her final two reps on the track, she can sense her body “shutting down,” as painful muscle cramps wreak havoc in her legs, only rivaling the uneasy feeling in her gut.
— Marie Claire Magazine
In the end, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce chose not to continue. It was a decision she made for herself.
I felt I could see it in front of me—and it was ripped [out of my hands]. I’m a warrior; I’m a fighter. I love rising to the occasion. I wanted to do it for my country, but I had to ask, What’s right for me?
— Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, via Marie Claire Magazine
And that was that. Alfred beat Richardson for Gold. Melissa Jefferson took bronze. One of the greatest sprinters of all-time ended her Olympic career with an emotional withdrawal.