Jamaican-born Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price has been named to the BBC’s list of 100 Most Influential and Inspiring Women of 2019. The theme for this year’s list is “The Female of the Future” and highlights individuals from around the world that have inspired, influenced, or achieved significant accomplishments in their field.
Fraser-Pryce made history on two fronts when she became the oldest woman to win a World or Olympic Championship in the 100m at the age of 32. She’s only the second mother to achieve the title. The last was 22 years ago. She won the World Championship in Doha, Qatar, in a time of 10.71 seconds.
Fraser-Pryce is no stranger to records or breaking them. At the age of 21, she became the first Caribbean woman to win gold at the Olympics for the 100m and the third woman to take two consecutive golds in the 100-meter. The athlete is the only male or female sprinter to attain World Champion status in the 100m four times and she even holds more 100m world championship titles than Usain Bolt.
The track and field athlete is the second woman sprinter to hold both Olympic and World titles at the same time and she also has more global titles than any other woman in sprinter history. Her achievements are additionally impressive as she put her career on hold in 2017 to have her son.
Nicknamed Pocket Rocket by fans for her diminutive size, she’s the founder of the Pocket Rocket Foundation that helps and supports school athletes of limited means obtain the education and athletic training the need. The non-profit has presented 31 full scholarships to students in 11 sports categories. Fraser-Pryce is a true history maker and is blazing a trail for others to follow in the future.
British sprinter of Jamaican descent, Dina Asher Smith, also made the BBC list. She was the first woman to claim a world championship sprint medal since 1983, winning the gold in the 200m. She holds more than 20 titles, awards and accolade, along with the distinction of being the fastest British woman in recorded history.
Photo source: Youtube/IAAF Channel
