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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce overcame the challenges of motherhood to continue her record-breaking sprinting career, inspiring young athletes with her resilience.
When a female track athlete is in their peak, pregnancy is something that never crosses their minds and was the same case for one of the greatest female sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
The 38-year-old has achieved a lot in her career but there was a time she had doubts about her comeback as she opened up about the challenges of being a first-time mother and balancing that with being an athlete, one of the most loved athletes.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has won seven Olympic medals and has eight medals from the World Championships, thanks to her resilience and hard work. In addition, she is one of the fewest athletes who have earned a medal in every Olympic edition that she participated in apart from the Paris Olympic Games.
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15:02 - 06.12.2024
Stephen Francis sheds light on the rift between Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce & Elaine Thompson-Herah at MVP: 'It became too much'
Both Fraser-Pryce & Thompson-Herah were teammates for a long time at MVP under Stephen Francis' guidance, but their rise to becoming world class sprinters naturally created animosity between the two.
However, there was a time she talked about the fears of motherhood after learning about her pregnancy in 2017. That time, she was dropping explosive times on the track and it would be safe to say she was at her peak.
She was eager to defend her title in the 100m but fell ill and it was later announced that she was expecting her bundle of joy. This was great news but maybe it came at a wrong time since she had expressed interest to start a family after ending her career.
“Pregnancy was the last thing on my mind. A couple of tests later, I found out I was pregnant. I stayed home for two days,” Shelly-Ann said in an interview with BBC Sport in 2021.
“I was shocked because, truth be told, I was thinking I just had to finish track and field before I could start a family.”
She gave birth to her son Zyon in August 2017, and admitted that it was not walk in the park juggling between being a mother and a professional athlete.
However, from where she stands now, she managed to work through that process and continue with her career, coming back even stronger.
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07:20 - 15.11.2024
'I did it for the people'- Usain Bolt on how fans affection influenced his decision to postpone retirement by one year
Decision to hang up spikes after becoming the first man to win three consecutive 100m and 200m Olympic gold medals backfired
"You still have to train and find creative ways to get the work in. Trying to do that with a three-year-old is very difficult but I have figured it out now," she added.
She remains an inspiration to many young women including Faith Kipyegon and Ruth Chepng’etich that you can bounce back from anything.
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