Shelly-Ann simply the best says track and field analyst
SHELLY-ANN Fraser-Pryce’s gold medal triumph in the 100-metre final at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing yesterday has cemented her greatness in a way not too dissimilar to what Usain Bolt’s win did in the men’s equivalent 24 hours earlier.
Sporting brilliant green plaits, the 28-year-old ‘Pocket Rocket’ was a blur to opponents as she raced to 10.76 seconds, right arm and right index finger pointing to the sky as she sped through the line.
The Netherlands’ fast-finishing Dafne Schippers was second in 10.81, while United States’ Tori Bowie grabbed bronze in 10.86.
It was Fraser-Pryce’s fifth global 100m title since the 2008 Olympic Games when as a shiny-eyed youngster, she shocked many with a blistering win at the same stadium.
The 2012 London Olympics brought similar success. World titles also came in Berlin 2009 and Moscow 2013 before yesterday’s gold. The only blip was a fourth-place finish in the Republic of Korea in 2011.
A popular view is that Fraser-Pryce should be considered best in her class – similar to the all-conquering Bolt.
Veteran journalist and track and field analyst Leighton Levy argued that the small-framed sprinter is not far off.
“She is the greatest 100m sprinter Jamaica has ever produced in terms of championship titles. She is the first woman to win three 100m World Championships titles; she brings her ‘A’ game to the finals, just like Bolt,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
“She’s not only won on the circuit, but won when it matters most. If she goes to Rio [Olympic Games in Brazil] next year, she stands to do something that no other female sprinter would have done before. That would put her, for me, alone as the best 100m female sprinter of all time,” he added.
Though Fraser-Pryce did not react quickest to the gun, her superior starting technique ensured the ‘Pocket Rocket’ inched ahead of the field after only a handful of strides. A few steps later and she was in a virtually unassailable position, though the contest was not yet halfway through. By the end she formalised what many believed was simply inevitable.
Levy explained that heading into the Championships her gold medal was easiest to predict.
“I think it was the most secure gold medal Jamaica had. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a lock for the women’s 100-metre. Throughout the course of the season there were a number of women running fast, but none were consistently fast as Shelly was.
“Every time she touched the track, 10.7s was the norm. There was a race she ran that was slower than usual that was 10.93, I think, in cold conditions in Stockholm. When you saw how she competed at these championships you knew it was like everybody else was running for second. This is an amazing accomplishment for the ‘Pocket Rocket’ and she is just an absolutely outstanding performer,” Levy said.
Former world champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, 33, barely missed out on a medal after clocking 10.91 for fourth in the event.
She was clipped close to the end by Bowie, but many had given her little chance of getting a medal entering the race due to less than impressive displays heading into the championships.
Levy said it was a mark of a true champion.
“I didn’t see this coming. Veronica Campbell has been ordinary all year and 10.99 was her best time this season. You didn’t see a 10.91 coming, but she has had a stellar career from the junior level through to the seniors, and she’s a warrior and she brings her game [when it matters]. It was an outstanding performance on her part, even though she didn’t medal. It was testimony to the champion she has been for Jamaica,” he said.