
Fraser-Pryce eases through in Jamaica trials farewell
Fraser-Pryce, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and 10-time gold medallist at the World Championships, has said this week's meeting will be her final appearance at Jamaican trials before she hangs up her spikes.
The veteran sprinter is reportedly planning to bring the curtain down on her glittering career at the end of the 2025 season and is bidding to make the Jamaican team for the the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
"In the next two days, it will be my final time gracing the National Stadium," Fraser-Pryce said at an event organised by her shoe sponsor Nike in Kingston on Monday.
"Honestly, it's one of those moments that I'm looking forward to… because I have absolutely nothing to lose and all to gain."
On Thursday, Fraser-Pryce easily came through her opening heat ahead of Carleta Bernard and Kemba Nelson.
Shericka Jackson, the reigning 200m world champion, posted the quickest qualifying time in 11.2sec, just ahead of Tia Clayton (11.21sec), who was fractionally quicker than twin sister Tina Clayton (11.27sec).
Jodean Williams was fourth fastest in 11.31sec.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
Only goal is to win, says ever-competitive veteran Fraser-Pryce
"People sometimes ask me if I still have anything to lose at 38, with my track record. Of course I do! I'm a fierce competitor, my only goal is to win! Even at 38," Fraser-Pryce said ahead of Friday's Diamond League meet in Brussels. "If I didn't believe it was possible, I wouldn't be doing this anymore. "Every time I step to the line, the goal is to win. "It doesn't matter how it looks to me because I'm crazy. It's just about going out there and just being competitive and not just showing up to show." Fraser-Pryce has struggled this season to hit the speeds she once did. She faces tough competition in Brussels from a strong American trio, Sha'Carri Richardson, the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medallist, in-form Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who tops the world-leading list, and Maia McCoy, who has twice timed sub-11sec sprints this season. "A fast time on Friday would certainly be a confidence booster, but the most important thing is the technical execution. Then the fast time will come naturally," she said. Having the worlds in Tokyo "is definitely a full circle moment", Fraser-Pryce having kicked off her senior career at the 2007 world champs in Osaka. "Being able to finish in a country that I started in is fantastic. It's a beautiful story," she said. "After the disappointing Paris Games, I took my time to recover and rebuild," she said in reference to her pulling out of her Olympic 100m semi-final last year with injury. "I am healthy and have trained hard over the past few months. I am ready to go for a sixth world title in Tokyo!" No secret to success Fraser-Pryce, the third-fastest woman of all time in the 100m with a time of 10.60, has won three Olympic gold medals and 10 world titles, with a total of 25 Olympic and world medals to her name. "My secret? There is no secret," she maintained. "My training discipline has brought me this far, and I get so much joy from the sport. "I enjoy it immensely and am very grateful for everything I have achieved in my career and have been able to experience. "I'm still very passionate. And competing at a high level, it's no secret that you have to be disciplined. "You have to work hard. And I think the fundamental or the primary thing right now for me is, I still enjoy what I do. And I think that's the greatest feeling." Fraser-Pryce added: "Good training alone is not enough, you also have to be able to translate that into competition. I want to nail my start on Friday, and I also want to see other technical details that I have worked hard on translated into competition." The decision to hang up her spikes, however, had not been a tough one. "It wasn't difficult at all," she said. "For me, I've been privileged, I'm blessed to be able to have had a lot of success in track and have some fantastic memories. "While I'm still working hard and maintaining emotion, I've not allowed my mind to get to a place of, 'Oh my God, I'm retiring'.


Fashion Network
3 days ago
- Fashion Network
Nike regains spotlight at Foot Locker for first time in years
Nike Inc.'s sneakers are front and centre at Foot Locker Inc. stores once again as the long-time partners rebuild a relationship that had frayed in recent years. Foot Locker is positioning Nike's running shoes in the lead columns of the men's sections in its stores — in front of rivals such as On, Hoka, Adidas and New Balance for the first time in two years, according to Matthew Boss, an analyst at JPMorgan. Nike had previously been positioned behind all those brands. 'Our recent fieldwork points to Nike product placement returning to pole position,' Boss said in a note to clients. The two companies are mending ties after Nike heavily pulled back from Foot Locker under its previous chief executive officer in order to prioritise its own stores and online shop. Nike products once accounted for about 75% of Foot Locker's total purchases, but that number dropped below 60% in 2022. Nike's strategy hurt Foot Locker's business for years. Nike's current CEO, Elliott Hill, has vowed to work more closely with wholesalers. As part of that push, Foot Locker is working on expanding its Home Court basketball sections developed in tandem with Nike. Foot Locker plans to add the sections to 100 stores around the world by 2026. Hill is refocusing Nike on its sports products and looking to boost sales of running products around the brand's Pegasus, Vomero and Structure shoes. Nike had ceded ground to its many competitors in running while it pushed lifestyle sneakers. In May, Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. agreed to acquire Foot Locker in a $2.4 billion deal — an agreement that would combine two of the largest sports chains in the US.


France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Social media hit Ilona Maher takes women's rugby onto new plane
Now the stage is set at the women's World Cup in England for the American to spark even more interest. The 29-year-old phenomenon has attracted over eight million followers on social media, not only through her sporting exploits but also for her promotion of body positivity. She played a pivotal role in the USA women's team winning a first ever Olympic medal, beating Australia in the third-place playoff in Paris last year. On the back of that achievement, Maher featured in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition and appeared in the US version of hit TV show "Dancing with the Stars", finishing runner-up. The Maher-fuelled improvement of the USA team attracted the attention of American investor Michele Kang who donated $4 million to help develop the USA Women's Rugby Sevens Team over four years. In another sport, Kang owns the Lyon women's football team, the eight-time European champions. Maher's days in Paris were not just spent playing rugby but also attracting even more followers with her pithy social media posts. She compared life in the Athletes' Village to a reality TV show, in one humorous posting saying she was there "looking for love", to which her friend replies: "No you are here to play rugby." In more reflective mode in Paris, she told the Bleacher Report one of her goals was trying to reassure "girls" that playing sport did not take away their "girliness". "What we're trying to show is the beauty that in sports you can be a badass on the field, you can be a beast on the field, but also be a beauty," she said. "It's really important for me because I want girls to see what their body is capable of. "It's not just to be looked at, objectified, but it's strong and it's fast, and it's brilliant." Maher, who through her body positivity push has become a brand ambassador for a deodorant and a skincare product she co-founded, revels in her global popularity and being "America's sweetheart." "I love when people call me that because I feel like I'm maybe not the image you would have of a sweetheart in some sense of the word,' Maher told CNN in January this year. "I'm honoured." 'Tone down' Maher, who hails from Vermont, may be extrovert and cheerful but she keeps her ego in check by showing appreciation to those women sports stars who paved the way for her. Hamm, her fellow American and a groundbreaking football superstar of the 1990s and early noughties, a two-time Olympic and World Cup winner, features high on the list. "I remember in our gym we always had a poster of Mia Hamm, and that was always cool to look up to her," Maher told the Bleacher Report. Closer to home, though, she is part of a tight-knit family unit, with her father Michael, a keen rugby player who introduced her to the sport, Netherlands-born mum Mieneke and sisters Olivia and Adrianna. Elder sister Olivia has a considerable social media presence herself. From her father Ilona not only learned about rugby but also a crucial life lesson when he defended her at a softball event. One of the other dads complained that Maher's pitches were unhittable but he was put in his place by Maher senior. "I think that was the first moment of being told to never tone it down," she told CNN. "Because that dad over there … wanted me to tone myself down so that it could be easier for (his daughter). "But that's not the world, is it? The world isn't going to tone down for you." Instead Maher has upped the ante and the fruits for women's rugby have been plentiful as New Zealand legend Portia Woodman-Wickliffe told AFP. "Having someone from America with that American market who is very confident, loves rugby, loves supporting women's bodies, someone as vocal as that is amazing for us," Woodman-Wickliffe said.