Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Absent From 100m Semifinals at Paris Olympics

Early reports are that Fraser-Pryce was dealing with a hamstring ailment during warmups.

Josh Wilson | Aug 3, 2024

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) poses / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

As the second heat of the women's 100m quarterfinals lined up for introductions at the Paris Olympics, there was one racer missing: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The Jamaican's absence is significant, as she had the fastest personal record of any runner who qualified for the semifinals.

Fraser-Pryce was part of a stacked quarterfinal that featured her, Sha'Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred. Only two automatic spots from each heat make it to the finals, so three fast runners was cause for dramatics until Fraser-Pryce dropped out.

In her absence, Alfred finished first and Richardson second, both advancing automatically to the finals.

Fraser-Pryce is an eight-time medalist, winning gold in the 100m sprint three times (2008, 2012, 2020). She will not be able to defend her title in Paris.

There was a moment, in a video that appeared to be shot on Saturday, getting through security for Fraser-Pryce and Richardson that appeared to amount in a small delay for both over what sounded like a policy misunderstanding based on social media videos disseminated.

The Jamaica Observer is reporting that Fraser-Pryce felt hamstring discomfort as she warmed up for the event. It has not been confirmed by Fraser-Pryce or the Jamaican athletics team.

Published Aug 3, 2024|Modified Aug 3, 2024

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.