World leader Shelly seeks 100m win in Paris

Four-time 100 metres World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will hope to fine-tune preparations for next weekend’s National Senior Championships when she competes today at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Paris.

Fraser-Pryce will be the only Jamaican competing in the meet which will be the final one before the championships. Fraser-Pryce is slated to run in the 100m which will be her second 100m race of the season after running an impressive 10.67 seconds in Nairobi, Kenya, in May, which is currently the fastest time in the world this year.

In her pre-race press conference yesterday, 35-year-old Fraser-Pryce said that despite her accomplishments, the challenge of being able to go even faster has been a constant motivator despite her advanced years.

“I have been hungry in that regard. I have been making sure that the things that I know will help me to do that are my technique and focusing on executing my races and the different phases of the races,” Fraser-Pryce said. “Once I am able to cement that, I definitely think that I will be able to run faster than I ever dreamt possible. So that is the focus and that is the hunger that I have.

Fraser-Pryce said that she has not made a decision on whether to do the sprint double at next month’s World Athletics Championships. However, she says it will depend on her physical and mental readiness.

“It is not a done decision where yes I am doing the double, because it takes a toll. So it is about that option and when that time comes, if I am ready, mentally and physically, I will take that on in Eugene,” Fraser-Pryce said.

As the defending World 100m champion, she has an automatic bye into the World Championships and does not have to qualify for the 100m at the trials.

Today Fraser-Pryce, who has a personal best of 10.60, will go up against a field with only one woman, Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago, going below the 11 seconds barrier this season. Ahye has a season’s best of 10.94.

The other competitors who will line up at the start include Côte d’Ivoire’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou who has a personal best of 10.78, two-time Olympic relay bronze medallist Daryll Neita of Great Britain, Swiss Olympic athlete Ajla Del Ponte, two-time European Indoor Championship medallist Ewa Swoboda of Poland, All-African Games 100m gold medallist Gina Bass of Gambia and Oceania women’s 100m record holder Zoe Hobbs of New Zealand.

The women’s 100m will be run at 3:53 p.m. (Jamaica time).