It’s been almost four months since Jamaican sprinting legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce officially retired from track and field. But her legacy and impact is impossible to forget. Over an 18-year career, she won 33 international medals, overcoming all kinds of challenges that come with being at the very top of her sport. But surprisingly, those hard-earned medals aren’t quite stored with the reverence one might expect.

In a recent interview with Sportstar, Fraser-Pryce was asked where she keeps her many medals. “Truthfully, they are all over the place,” responded Fraser-Pryce. “I’m trying to build something for them but they are all in the same case I got them in. There’s a cabinet in my room on which I have a TV and all my medals are just packed in there. Most of them.”

Things took an even more unexpected turn when she revealed, “There’s two medals I just can’t find. These are my medals from the 2009 World Championships (Gold medals in the 100m and 4x100m) I think. I hope I’ve not lost them but I can’t find them. I packed them when I moved houses but I haven’t found them yet. I haven’t had the chance to find them. I’m gonna have to look for them.”

Fans can only hope that they’re rolling around somewhere in her house, because those medals were hard fought. That year, Fraser-Pryce had appendix surgery in April, which seriously slowed her training. After recovering, she competed in events like the Prefontaine Classic in June and finished fourth. Then came the World Championships in Berlin: she ran a then personal best of 10.73 s in the 100 m final, and later helped Jamaica grab gold in the 4×100 m relay.

Even Fraser-Pryce herself previously called 2009 a “rough year.” But it’s not just those two medals; every medal she has means something. Growing up in Waterhouse, one of Kingston’s poorest areas, she faced real challenges. She lived in a tiny tenement yard with her mother and two brothers, all four of them on one bed. She even had to bathe outside, with her mom watching to keep her safe.

But her mother noticed her talent early and believed athletics could be her way forward. That support kept her focused, even when the streets around them were full of distractions. Running wasn’t just sport, it was the one thing that stayed constant.

She remembers, “I was just always running. I ran barefoot in primary school until my teacher bought me spikes in grade six.” Every medal tells a story, not just of victory, but of how she ran her way out of struggle. But her journey didn’t stop there; it only sped up.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s next move after retirement

After almost 20 years at the top of the sprinting world, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finally hung up her spikes in 2025. “For the past 18 years, time down to the very millisecond has been at the epicentre of my life,” she wrote on Instagram. “Every day of training, each of my 275 races, every step to the starting line was my own pursuit to not only utilize the time given but to make it my own. I have made every second count, and I give God all the glory for blessing me with a career…”

At 38, Fraser-Pryce leaves behind one of the greatest careers in athletics: 10 world titles, including five in the 100 m (2009, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2022), eight Olympic medals with golds in 2008, 2012, and 2020, and five Diamond League final wins. And it all began with a moment that shifted sprinting history forever.

In Beijing 2008, she became the first woman from the Caribbean to win Olympic 100 m gold. And it continued. In London 2012, she defended her title, only the third woman ever to do so. At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, she made history by winning gold in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4×100 m relay.

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Even at 35, she captured 100 m gold at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, becoming the oldest sprinter ever to win a world title. But in 2023, injuries slowed her down, but she still won a world championship bronze and helped Jamaica secure 4×100 m relay silver.

She had planned for Paris 2024 to be her final Olympics, but another injury during the 100 m semi-final warmup ended that campaign early. But she made sure to return in 2025. Her last race was at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where she finished sixth in the 100 m and earned a silver in the 4×100 m relay.

Talking about life after retirement, she said, “For me, right now, it’s really just readjusting and understanding that you might be finished but there is still work that I do outside the track…I need to work on the business side of Fraser-Pryce. I need to work on my foundation (Pocket Rocket Foundation) and I really need to work on being a mom. I’m really just being a mom right now. I’m giving my son the 100 per cent that I’ve given to track.”

These days, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is soaking in family life, spending quality time with her husband, Jason Pryce, and her son, Zyon. She’s stepped into motherhood with the same heart she once carried to the starting blocks. The medals were the story for 18 years, but family is the story now.