Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – Keynote Speaker

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a Jamaican track and field sprinter. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Fraser-Pryce ascended to prominence in the 2008 Olympic Games when at 21 years old, the relatively unknown athlete became the first Caribbean woman to win 100 m gold at the Olympics. In 2012, she successfully defended her 100m title, becoming the third woman to win two consecutive 100m events at the Olympics.

At just 5 feet 3 inches—more than 1 foot shorter than world-record-setting sprinter Usain Bolt, her celebrated male teammate—Fraser is nicknamed the “Pocket Rocket” for her petite frame and explosive starts.

At the 2013 world championships, she won the women’s 100-metre final in 10.71 seconds. Four days later Fraser-Pryce captured gold in the 200 metres (22.17 seconds), becoming the third woman to claim such a dash double. She then anchored Jamaica’s team to secure gold in the women’s 4 × 100-metre relay. At season’s end the International Association of Athletics Federations named Fraser-Pryce its 2013 Woman Athlete of the Year.

At the 2015 world championships, Fraser-Pryce won gold medals as a member of Jamaica’s 4 × 100-metre relay team and in the 100-metre event, becoming the first woman to win three 100-metre golds in world championships history. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, she battled through a persistent toe injury to take the silver medal in the 4 × 100-metre relay and the bronze in the 100-metre sprint.

In early 2017 Fraser-Pryce announced that she was pregnant—she gave birth to a boy in August—and she did not return to competition until the following year. At the 2019 world championships, she claimed her fourth title in the 100 metres and was a member of the gold-winning 4 × 100-metre relay team.

Fraser-Pryce currently holds the most sub 11 seconds for female sprinting. A total of 14! World Athletics hails her as “The Greatest Female Sprinter of her generation”. She is sponsored by NIKE, Team Visa, GraceKennedy & Digicel.

In August 2022, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran a blazing, world-leading 10.62 seconds in the women’s 100-meter final at the Monaco Diamond League. The five-time 100m world champion, who raced to victory by a full meter, has now become the first woman to break 10.7 six times in one season.