Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Returning to Record-Breaking Running After Becoming a Mom
She had to balance being a mom with track and field.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became pregnant with now seven-year-old son Zyon, soon after she sustained a toe injury that thwarted her performance at the 2016 Olympics.
The Jamaican track and field star, who is the world's third fastest woman of all time, tells Marie Claire about how that period impacted her. "I’m the kind of athlete that’s always going to come back harder the next time," she explains. "When I got pregnant on the heels of that injury, I didn’t get the opportunity to do that [on my timeline]. I was sad. But I was able to step back and look at the new picture. I took the year off, and in that time my toe healed, too."
Fraser-Pryce's first race after Zyon was born was in Doha in 2019. Going into it, the athlete felt a sense of peace that she would be okay regardless of the outcome. "I faced so much adversity going into that championship, and track was the outlet that I had to pour into," she says.
"I believe in the power of alignment. When things are aligned, no one and nothing on this earth can stop that. I was anxious. I was nervous. I was a lot of things. A part of me wanted to prove that I was still good. But being there with my son, I looked at him and thought, it doesn’t matter what happens."
That day, the athlete took home the gold medal and began a streak of record-breaking running: She beat her personal best in both the 100- and the 200-meter races in 2021, and took home another world championship the next year.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in pink dress
Like all new moms, Fraser-Pryce had to be intentional about how much time she was spending pursuing her lifelong passion vs. with her son. "When I was at practice, I would run over to the phone and check on him. Ask 'What’s he doing? Send the pictures!'" she tells Marie Claire.
"It was hard being away from my son and at the same time chasing my dream. There were times I‘d think: 'Maybe it's time to wrap it up and go home to my baby.' But the other side of me was like, 'Oh, we are running. We're not done yet.'"
Though Fraser-Pryce has faced difficult times since then, she's ready to make her country—and her family—proud as she runs her last professional race this coming September at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. But make no mistake: "It’s my final year, but this isn’t a farewell tour," she says.
