'That Best Speaks to Who I Am' – Melissa Jefferson-Wooden on What Makes Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Truly Special

The triple world champion praised Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's approach to finishing her career, calling it a powerful example of self-determination and inspiration.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden has once again paid tribute to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, expressing her desire to retire with grace, just like the Jamaican sprint queen.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce already share one thing in common, they are the only two women to have won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at the same World Championship.

The 10-time world champion achieved the feat first, competing at the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden achieved the feat at the just concluded World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

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However, that is not all, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden expressed admiration in how Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce hang her spikes, noting that she believes when her time comes, she will emulate that.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is an Inspiration

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden reflected on Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s final season, noting that it felt like everything was falling into place perfectly.

The Olympic 100m bronze medallist highlighted Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s immense contributions to women’s sprinting and praised her for approaching her last competitive run on her own terms.

She expressed admiration that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce opted to focus on herself rather than external expectations, despite the challenges she faced at the Paris Olympic Games.

“Yeah, it definitely is. I feel like in a sense it's everything aligning the way that it's supposed to be. And for someone like Shelly who has given so much to our sport, especially women's short sprints, to be able to grace the stage with her last go-round,” Melissa Jefferson-Wooden said as per CBC Sports.

“And then just seeing her doing it in her own way, not worrying about what expectations people may have of her, her fans may have of her. Just doing it for her because it could have been very easy for her, after last year, especially how last year ended for her.”

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden noted that it would have been easy for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to step away from the sport, but she chose to return and finish her career on her own terms.

The American explained that this approach reflects Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s character and serves as a source of inspiration and confidence for her, emphasising the importance of having the ability to decide how and when to conclude one’s own journey.

“It could have been very easy for her to just be like, ‘Man, you know what? I'm done. I'm walking away.’ But she said, ‘No, I'm gonna come back and I'm going to go out on my terms. I'm going to go out the way that I see fit.’ That best speaks to who I am and what she's all about,” she added.

“And seeing that, it gives me nothing but confidence and it's an inspiration because, you know, one of these days I'm going to get to a point to where I look back and forth on like, hey, is this what I want to do? Is this not what I want to do? And the one thing I want to always be able to do is go out on my terms.”

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden believes that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s career serves as a powerful example of self-determination, inspiring her to one day finish her own journey on her own terms, just as the Jamaican sprint legend did.