Will Knee Injury Prevent Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s Record 6th 100m Title at the World Championships?

Kedean BrownJuly 26, 2023

Ten-time World Athletics champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will be vying for a record 100m title at the upcoming World Athletics championships next month in Budapest, Hungary. But with a prolonged knee injury only recently allowing Fraser-Pryce to make her 2023 debut, can the sprinter come out on top of the list of elite female athletes who will be on the hunt for gold in Budapest?

Following the cancellation of her season opener at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone in April, Fraser-Pryce’s opening race was set for the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya, in May. However, her first race of the season was once again postponed after she was injured in Kenya while training for the meet.

Fraser-Pryce confirmed that she had departed the country to seek treatment, and the three-time Olympic gold medalist remained absent from the track until her season opener earlier this month in the 200m at the JAAA/Puma National Championships. Following her return to the track, Fraser Pryce went on to make her much anticipated first appearance in the 100m this year, winning with a 10.82-second finish in Lucerne on Thursday.

The athlete gained a second victory, clocking in at a similar time at the Meeting de Madrid a few days later to win the women’s 100m in a meeting record time of 10.83 seconds.

Though Fraser-Pryce’s return to the 100m is a welcome sight for athletic fans, she has not yet been able to match the times of her fellow female athletes, who pose a threat to her World Championship victory. Such as Jamaican compatriot Shericka Jackson, who has a season’s best of 10.65 seconds, and American Sha’Carri Richardson, who has a season’s best of 10.71 seconds.

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Further fueling doubts regarding her chances at securing her sixth 100m title next month are Fraser-Pryce’s statements following her win in Madrid. While speaking to the press after her race, Fraser-Pryce admitted that she had not yet returned to her pre-injury form.

“If I’m being truthful, then it’s no, it’s not 100 percent, but you know it is what it is,” Fracer-Pryce stated.

Fraser-Pryce added that she would not be placing her focus on things out of her control and would be doing her best regardless.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce not yet fully recovered from May knee injury. pic.twitter.com/7mlvD5PYRO

— yardhype.com (@YardHype) July 26, 2023

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Despite not fully recovering, the athlete went on to describe her wins in Lucerne and Madrid as a step in the right direction in an Instagram post, quoting the old Jamaican proverb, “You want good, your nose haffi run.”⁠

View the post below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (@realshellyannfp)

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