Don’t give up fight for equality, Fraser-Pryce urges sportswomen

Evergreen Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is urging sportswomen to continue to advocate for gender equaity in track and field and other disciplines and not be overshadowed by male dominance.

Fraser-Pryce, 34, has caught a second wind after childbirth, bringing down her personal best to 10.60 seconds in her pet event, the 100 metres, and winning individual silver in the Tokyo Olympics in August.

As she plans to retire in 2022 after the Oregon World Championships, Fraser-Pryce said that while significant strides have been made on sponsorship, the struggle for equality is not over.

“As it relates to equity, it is a long time coming. We now have a voice of women on the platform, which speaks to equal compensation for our work and commitment. Some sponsors and corporations are putting equal pay and other benefits in place, but more is needed,” said the petite sprinter, whose Pocket Rocket Foundation led a Christmas donation drive in her hometown of Waterhouse in Kingston on Saturday.

Younger women must take up the mantle for that fight, she said.

For now, Fraser-Pryce has laser focus on defending her 100m World title in Oregon.

“I’m training and ready for that journey,” she told The Gleaner.

But as she prepares to hang up her spikes, Fraser-Pryce disclosed that she has no immediate plans to get into coaching professionally.

“I do believe in mentoring, though, so I can coach from afar, like assisting other athletes or my alma mater,” she said.

That passion for outreach, she said, has spurred her to return to Ashoka Road and other sections of Waterhouse to give back to kids and community. Her annual Christmas treat is into its 14th year.

Waterhouse is a mainly low-income neighbourhood of western St Andrew troubled by persistent gang violence.

Memories of growing up there cause Fraser-Pryce to return to inspire children in whose eyes she sees herself.

“I can remember my mother selling on Grand Market. There was no traditional Christmas dinner or toys, therefore, it (the treat) is a commitment I made to continue returning to my village. The best feelings for me is to hear a child say, ‘Shelly makes me enjoy my Christmas’”, the second-fastest woman sprinter alive said.

The Pocket Rocket Foundation outreach, billed at $2 million, was sponsored by Digicel, Toyota, Excelsior, Nike, and AC Hotel.

Juggling the roles of wife, mother, and superstar sprinter has been a difficult transition, said Fraser-Pryce, but she is still pressing ahead with entrepreneurial pursuits as a supplier of all things fashion.

“We have decided that in 2022, the business, which is now called Lady Shelly Beauty, will be rebranded as Shelly Beauty,” Fraser-Pryce said.

“This rebranding will find us catering to the fashion needs of males and also the children.”

rasbert.turner@gleanerjm.com