Shelly ready for another sprint battle

PARIS, France:

Five straight Olympic Games later, decorated sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce still burns for greatness. But in this her final Olympic Games she is able to look back at how far she has come since her debut in 2008, and how much she has accomplished since.

Fraser-Pryce will open her final 2024 Paris Olympic Games campaign in the women’s 100 metres on Friday hoping to add another medal to her three gold, four silver and a bronze collection. While in past cycles the achievements have mounted, the 37-year-old says that she is not taking for granted being in a fifth straight Olympic Games and is determined to squeeze every drop of her experience.

“Ultimately for me being here at the fifth Olympic Games is such a blessing. When I look back at it, I was like it is crazy to even think about. The fact that it has been to five straight Olympic Games is even more crazy. It is just blessing and how God has been good to me and how much He has kept me,” Fraser-Pryce said.

Fraser-Pryce, winner of consecutive 100m gold medals in 2008 and 2012, has specifically said that this would be her last Olympic Games with no indications of what her immediate future would look like after Paris. But her focus now is to prepare herself for an all-out battle for the Olympic title. And knowing how special her appearances have been, she wants to make sure she leaves no stone unturned.

“I am really looking forward to the experience and stepping on to the track. Once I get on the line I am giving 100 per cent at all times. Whenever anybody lines up I think it is really about doing their best because for some people this is one shot because the Olympics are four years apart,” Fraser-Pryce said “So for me I am always of the expectation that it is going to be competitive no matter where I am at.”

Fraser-Pryce’s main rivals will again be compatriot Shericka Jackson, American World champion Sha’Carri Richardson and St Lucian Julien Alfred.