Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt delivered an emotional tribute to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as the sprint queen prepares to hang up her spikes.
On June 27, 2025, during the Jamaican National Championships, which doubled as trials for the World Championships in Tokyo, Bolt took a moment to honor one of the most decorated athletes in the history of track and field.
Fraser-Pryce had earlier announced that the national trials would mark her final race on home soil, bringing to a close a glittering domestic chapter in a career spanning nearly two decades. Known fondly as the “Pocket Rocket,” she blazed her way into history as the first Jamaican woman to win Olympic 100m gold and has since built a legacy unmatched in the women’s sprints.
When asked what Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce means to Jamaica, Usain Bolt responded in his unmistakable, charismatic style.
“Same thing we mean, there’s glory and greatness in it. I’m very happy for her, see her career is longer than mine. It has been a long time, but she keeps going; we need more medals in the country. Happy for that. Big up Shelly,” Bolt said.
Their friendship has stood the test of time, from Fraser-Pryce’s first Olympic 100m gold at the 2008 Beijing Games to her record-breaking fifth world 100m title in 2022 at age 35. Even as she competed at 38, Bolt remained one of her biggest supporters.
Fraser-Pryce’s career achievements speak volumes. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, a ten-time world champion, and the only sprinter, male or female, to win five world titles in the 100m (2009, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2022). After giving birth in 2017, she returned to the track in 2018, astonishing the world by regaining elite form and securing another world title, becoming the first mother in 24 years to win a global 100m gold.
At the 2025 Jamaican National Trials, she signed off her domestic career with a podium finish, clocking 10.91 seconds to place third behind Shericka Jackson (10.88) and rising star Tina Clayton (10.81). The packed Kingston National Stadium erupted in applause, witnessing a historic passing of the baton moment.
After her final race, an emotional Fraser-Pryce reflected on her journey, while fans relished a GOAT-meets-GOAT moment as Usain Bolt joined her for pictures and warm conversation at trackside.
Fraser-Pryce has qualified for Tokyo’s World Championships, where she’ll add to her legacy one final time.
