At the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stormed to her fourth world title in the women’s 100 meters, clocking a blistering world-leading time of 10.71 seconds.
It was a monumental moment not just for her career, but for her life. As she crossed the finish line and embarked on a jubilant victory lap, she was joined by her two-year-old son, Zyon, a powerful image of resilience, motherhood, and redemption.
On the same night, Allyson Felix etched her name deeper into history, helping the U.S. win the 4×400 mixed relay to secure her 12th World Championship gold medal, surpassing Usain Bolt’s tally and becoming the most decorated athlete in World Championship history.
But behind these historic moments were stories the world hadn’t heard. Recently, Fraser-Pryce spoke candidly with Emily Abbate of Marie Claire, revealing the silent struggle that shadowed her journey to Doha.
After suffering a painful toe injury ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she still managed to claim a bronze medal, Fraser-Pryce received life-changing news, she was pregnant.
“At the time, nobody knew. Not even my mother,” she confessed.
In a sport where pregnancy could easily be perceived as a career-ending setback, Fraser-Pryce bore the emotional weight in silence.
“For a lot of us here in Jamaica, we are already battling with our insecurities of not feeling like we belong, and not feeling like we are worthy. But I’ve always had the mentality that I’m just going to work my way back.”
For Fraser-Pryce, speaking up about her pregnancy felt like surrender, and surrender was never an option. In 2017, she welcomed Zyon through a C-section. Just two years later, in the unforgiving Doha heat, she returned to the track, not just as a sprinter, but as a mother with something to prove.
“I faced so much adversity going into that championship,” she recalled.
“Track was the outlet that I had to pour into.”
“I believe in the power of alignment,” she said.
“When things are aligned, no one and nothing on this earth can stop that.”
Allyson Felix’s Fight for Motherhood and Equity
In 2018, American sprint icon Allyson Felix faced her own life-threatening challenge. At 32 weeks pregnant, she was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia and underwent an emergency C-section.
Her daughter, Camryn, spent critical days in neonatal intensive care. The harrowing experience would spark a fire that would extend far beyond the track.
Months later, Felix publicly challenged Nike, her longtime sponsor, after the brand proposed a 70% pay cut during her maternity leave. Her bold stand forced an industry-wide reckoning.
Within three months, Nike reversed its policy, guaranteeing pay and bonuses for 18 months around pregnancy. Other brands followed suit, making space for a conversation long overdue in women’s sports.
Felix didn’t stop there. In Doha, she let her performances do the talking, surpassing Usain Bolt’s World Championship gold tally and securing her place among the sport’s legends.
At the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, she added bronze in the women’s 400m and gold in the 4×400 relay, and capped her career with another medal haul at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
Together, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Allyson Felix reshaped what motherhood could look like at the highest levels of competition.