Before the 2025 season kicked off, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce hinted that this could be the grand finale of her legendary career. At 38, the Jamaican sprint queen has achieved it all: 10 world titles and multiple Olympic medals. In the new-age era, she remains a formidable force, giving the youngsters a run for their money. After her Paris Olympics injury setback, Fraser-Pryce decided to give it one last shot before calling it a day. “It’s my final year, but this isn’t a farewell tour,” she declared as the 2025 season began. Now, as her Diamond League race in Brussels concluded, she is here with some messages from the track.

She finished fourth in a fiercely competitive race, clocking 11.17s, while Sha’Carri Richardson returned to the podium, finishing just behind world leader and winner Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. When asked about whether she is content with her performance, she added, “I didn’t get to see the replay. I was in the replay. I didn’t think the start was brilliant, but I would have to go back and watch to see what happened. But all in all, it’s such a great feeling to compete and finish healthy.” 

She further added, “I’m excited about the opportunities, and as I said earlier, there’s so much to gain and nothing to lose, so that’s what I’m looking for. I have made a lot of memories—each and every memory that I have. You know, I’ve really been just shaping the pro in me. And it’s the memories that I can’t even talk about, but they’re really there. Because it’s not just about the code, but it’s the athletes, the relationships you build with each athlete that are here. Ultimately, we’re all chasing the same prize, but we all have a story, and it’s beautiful.”

For her, it’s all about cementing her legacy at the pinnacle of the sport. Competing at the highest level in her late thirties is a testament to her resilience and unwavering determination. In a conversation with Marie Claire, she said, “I’m here to inspire someone who may not find success until they’re in their thirties.” Beyond medals and accolades, this season is her statement: even in your late thirties, you can still dominate on your own terms.

With eight Olympic medals (three gold, four silver, and one bronze) and 10 World Championships, Shelly-Ann is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the sport. And this is just her international record; she has won even more accolades in domestic competitions. She became the first Caribbean woman to win Olympic 100m gold in 2008 and successfully defended her title in 2012. With the 2025 World Championships this September, the Jamaican will officially retire from the sport, but what’s next for her?

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will continue to nurture talent for the sport

Apart from being a world-class sprinter, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist. In 2013, she established the Pocket Rocket Foundation, a non-profit that provides academic scholarships to Jamaican student-athletes. She has been nurturing young talents of her country for quite some time now, and she might dedicate more time to the organization now. In addition to that, she has her own haircare brand, ‘AFIMI,’ which aims to help women embrace their natural hair.

Talking to Marie Claire, she added, “I want my legacy to be the totality of who I am. The mom, the athlete, the entrepreneur, the philanthropist. I want it to be about impact. The impact that I’ve had on and off the track. I’ve been deliberate in creating space for other women to understand that they can thrive in life. That they get to decide when and how you move. I’m here to reshape the narrative about what female bodies can do.”

With only the 2025 World Championships remaining, we are inching closer to the day the track-and-field legend calls it quits. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce might not leave the sport entirely, but the tracks will surely miss her presence.