Last month, in Japan at the World Athletics Championships, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce passed the baton to the next generation, quite literally. After helping the Jamaican 4x100m relay team to silver, the 38-year-old announced her retirement. As she concluded her run in Japan, there was no doubt that the five-time World 100m Champion had departed from her beloved arena as a legend. Now, as a gesture of heartfelt tribute to the Jamaican’s illustrious career, Alexis Ohanian made an epic announcement. 

On October 9, Reddit co-founder and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce appeared for an interview with CBS Mornings. During the show, Ohanian declared that he’d like to take a moment to honor Fraser-Pryce with a crowning ceremony at the Athlos NYC to celebrate “a lifetime of speed, excellence and legacy.” He said, “Something that was so important for us is not just having a special Tiffany crowning moment for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at our event.”

But the surprises kept coming! Ohanian declared that it’d be none other than his wife and tennis legend, Serena Williams, who would crown the Jamaican athlete. He claimed, “It will be an iconic moment under the lights at Athlos. And a game recognizes game moment.” Interestingly, the crown with which the 38-year-old will be honored is a custom made Tiffany and Co. silver crown which costs more than $25,000.

More so, a silver crown from Tiffany & Co. will be awarded to all the winners. The crowns made for the Athlos events reportedly costs $25,000. There will be seven events, counting the long jump final, and a field of athletes that includes Olympic champions Faith Kipyegon and Masai Russell competing for more than $773,000 in prize money.

But Fraser-Pryce’s honor will be one of a kind, as during the interview, Ohanian mentioned that the crown designed for the Jamaican is ‘one of one.’

Following this, Fraser-Pryce also took a moment to express her heartfelt gratitude and reflected on her decision to call it a day, specifically in Japan.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce expressed her love for the sport 

Sharing various nooks and crannies about her retirement, the Jamaican shared the details of why she decided to retire at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships. She said, “Well, 18 years ago, I started my first race in Osaka, Japan. Back then, I was so unsure who I was and what I really wanted. Fast forward 18 years later,I ended my journey in Tokyo – I think it as destiny.”

With the count of every single second taken through the last two decades, ‘Pocket Rocket’ fell ever so deeply in love with the world of track and field. 

More so, shortly after announcing her retirement last month, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce shared a heartfelt message and added, “This sport has given me joy beyond measure. It has shaped me, disciplined me, and carried me to heights I could only dream of as a young girl in Waterhouse.” And now, her perspective has changed. She doesn’t look at the sport in terms of mere seconds. Instead, it’s the years of relentless pursuit of excellence that charge her up. Needless to say, according to her, those will forever remain the greatest years of her life. 

Being able to carry Jamaica on her shoulders on international stages was nothing short of an honor. And Alexis Ohanian will join the multitude of fans as Serena Williams will honor Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.