Fraser-Pryce: It was an unbelievable season
According to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, her 2019 athletic season was nothing shy of magical.
The two-time Olympic champion won her fourth 100m world title at the World Athletics championships in Doha, Qatar, was voted the Pan American best female athlete of the year, and is tipped to win her fourth RJRGleaner Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year award.
“It has been an unbelievable season for me coming back. I never take anything for granted. Everything is hard work and discipline. And I have to give God thanks for everything that has happened,” she told STAR Sports.
Fraser-Pryce said that it was a privilege to be among the nine finalists for the Sportswoman of the Year award as women have continued to raise the bar in their respective sporting disciplines.
EXCITED AND HONOURED
“I’m excited and honoured to have been selected as one of the nominees for Sportswoman of the Year. Women continue to excel in sports and we continue to push the bar,” she said. “We are not limited. We are more, and we can become more. And for me to be among female athletes who continue to thrive is an honour. To be nominated is a huge honour and I look forward to the event, and congrats to all the ladies who were nominated.”
Fraser-Pryce is coming off a remarkable return to the track this season, running a world-leading time of 10.71 seconds capturing the world title after a two-year absence from the track to give birth to her son. And although the joy of her world is now in Zyon, the diminutive FraserPryce managed to claim several titles, including the Pan American Games 200m title and the 4x100m world title, among others.
The 32-year-old said that regardless of who wins the award on January 17, it is a victory that represents the hard work put in by all the finalists. “In our own right, we are all winners because for what it takes for us to compete whether in the pool or on the track, it’s a lot. There are so many things that go into the preparation of an athlete, not just the winning, but also the losses,” she said. “That makes [us] who we are, and to come back day in and day out and give of our best, speaks to our commitment and our testament to hard work and bearing the weight on our shoulders.”