Imagine you’re a parent with a kid in a preschool or elementary school. It’s field day, and the school invites parents to not only attend but also to participate in a race. You look around. Some parents are younger, some are older, but all are in the shape you’d expect for a parent of a young kid. And then you see eight-time Olympic medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce lacing up her sneakers.
A year-old story is going viral once again in which Fraser-Pryce joined in a short dash at sports day at her son Zyon’s school, winning it by at least a full second.
Here’s the video, posted to multiple social media sites:
Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce, a two-time Olympic champion in the 100 meters, ran and won a parent race at her son’s school meet.
“And you did that to them?!”
“Yes, why not I’m a parent! It said parent race so I showed up for the parent race.” ??? pic.twitter.com/jEMeiprbwN— Women Posting W’s (@womenpostingws) August 3, 2024
In April 2023, Fraser-Pryce shared the detail of the story in a Facebook post, explaining that she wasn’t initially planning to run but had to when her “teammates weren’t doing so hot.”
In the post, she said that Zyon fell during his first race and tried again, getting bronze in the obstacle race. She “sent Jason to handle business” in the father’s race, but it “didn’t go so well.”
“As an Olympian, it just didn’t make sense for us to leave without bringing home a single piece of gold,” Fraser-Pryce wrote.
She saved the day and “redeemed the Pryce family name,” winning first place, helping her family place fourth overall.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment,” she said on Facebook, adding the laughing emoji.
A gold medal is a gold medal, but it wasn’t the most competitive race she’s done. Fraser-Pryce has competed in an astonishing five Olympic Games, taking home a gold medal in 2008, 2012 and 2020, a pair of silvers in 2012, and another in 2016 and 2020, and a bronze in 2016. This year, she withdrew herself from the 100-meter semifinals.
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