Jamaican sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has announced that this week’s Jamaica National Championships will mark the last time she competes at Kingston’s National Stadium, as she prepares to bring the curtain down on her stellar career at the end of the 2025 season.
“In the next two days, it will be my final time gracing the National Stadium,” Fraser-Pryce revealed during a cocktail reception hosted by her long-time shoe sponsor Nike, in her honour at the AC Hotel on Monday night. “Honestly, it’s one of those moments that I’m looking forward to… because I have absolutely nothing to lose and all to gain.”
The event, which was a celebration of Fraser-Pryce’s extraordinary achievements and enduring legacy, was attended by Prime Minister The Hon. Andrew Holness, GraceKennedy CEO Frank James, Nike executives, MVP Track Club President Bruce James, Wolmer’s Girls’ School Principal and Pocket Rocket Foundation Chair Colleen Montague, members of the parliamentary opposition, her husband Jason Pryce, and their son Zyon.
Fraser-Pryce’s journey to greatness began at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, where she earned her first global medal as part of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team. What followed was an era-defining career that yielded three Olympic gold medals, including back-to-back 100m titles in 2008 and 2012, a World Indoor 60m title, five 100m World Championships golds, and 10 World Championship medals overall. She is also the third fastest woman of all time and has been named Jamaica’s Sportswoman of the Year multiple times.
“I’ve always said that I’m the daughter of the soil,” she said with pride. “I’m a proud Jamaican because you have shown me love in the ups, in the downs… and it is you who have helped to nurture me and give me that spirit of pride and unwavering support.”
Now, as she steps away from elite competition, Fraser-Pryce is transitioning her fierce drive and global influence into advocacy and philanthropy. In particular, she used the evening to celebrate her long-standing partnership with Nike, crediting the brand not only for its professional support but for sharing in her mission to uplift Jamaica.
“You have supported me as an athlete, a mom, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist,” she said, addressing Nike representatives. “You have invested in me and by extension, your investment is not only in me, but in Jamaica… I’ve said this at every table I’ve sat with you—this is where the heart of world-class sprinting is.”
She announced a new initiative with Nike aimed at eliminating barefoot racing among Jamaican primary school athletes, inspired by what she saw while watching the Gibson-McCook Relays earlier this year.
“There is absolutely no way we should still have kids running barefooted in this country. Not the Jamaica of world-class sprinters and athletes,” she said. “Nike and I have decided that it’s at the grassroots level we will have impact. It is my mandate to make sure that every single student at the primary level in this country will never run barefoot at the National Stadium.”
She paid special tribute to Bruce James, her long-time MVP Track Club President, saying, “There is no me without Mr. James. You’ve been there for my entire career, and you’ve seen that it is this nation—and the love for this nation—that continues to fuel me.”
Equally emotional was her salute to Mrs. Colleen Montague, whom she credits for shaping her character and future during her time at Wolmer’s and who now chairs the Pocket Rocket Foundation, Fraser-Pryce’s philanthropic arm.
“If there’s ever a moment that anyone has spoken negatively about me or just the future, it was her who poured into me,” she said. “She would say, ‘Shelly-Ann, there is more. You can be a leader. You can go far.’ And I thank her for her words, her support, her love, her encouragement. She has paved that way.”
The most heartfelt moment came when Fraser-Pryce mentioned her husband, Jason, who has been her steady anchor away from the cameras and the track.
“I’ve never met someone who is comfortable with me just taking the stage and taking the lead,” she said. “Jason, tonight is not just for me—it’s for you. It’s the time and years you’ve dedicated. You’ve shown me grace, support, and love, and allowed me to continue the work I’ve been doing.”
As she prepares for her final performance at the stadium where her legend was born, Fraser-Pryce reminded the audience that her career was always bigger than medals. It was about impact, inspiration, and purpose.
“This moment is not just for me—it’s for us,” she said. “It’s how we continue to shift and change the narrative around female or elite sprinting. It’s about telling others that no one gets to tell you when or how or where—you get to show up on your own time, in your own moment.”
With her final season now underway and a nation behind her once more, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is ready to leave the track the same way she dominated it: on her own terms.
Source: SM
