Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Other Track and Field Stars Who Retired in 2025

The 2025 season will truly be remembered in the annals of track and field, as it marked a significant transition of athletes.

For close to two decades, the sport was anchored by a specific cohort of athletes, the titans of the post-Usain Bolt era and the pioneers who brought technical events into the mainstream.

As Pulse Sports Kenya looks toward a 2026 season that lacks a traditional outdoor World Championship, we find ourselves staring at a starting block that is missing its most familiar faces.

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The first major shock to the system came in February, during the height of the indoor season. While many expected Keturah Orji to make one final run at a World Indoor title, the American triple jump record-breaker announced her retirement just before the USATF Indoor Championships.

Keturah Orji’s decision was rooted in a desire to leave while still at the top of her technical game. As a 10-time national champion, she had spent a decade hopping, stepping, and jumping further than any American woman in history.

By announcing her departure in February, she avoided the gruelling summer grind, choosing instead to focus on her career in sports administration.

“Everyone starts their journey in sports for different reasons, and everyone retires for different reasons. My hope is that when the time comes for you to make a big decision, whether it’s sport-related or not, you feel confident in your choice,” she said in part while announcing her retirement.

“No one else should make you feel like your reason isn’t good enough or that you’re too young, too old, or whatever people may say. ‘Let the thought of starting again excite you and not scare you.’ You can retire whenever you want, for whatever reason you want. And, of course, we always have the freedom to change our minds.”

As the outdoor season began to heat up in May, Richard Kilty officially called time on his career. For British fans, Richard Kilty was the heartbeat of the sprint relay squad.

His announcement came via a heartfelt social media post in late May, just as the Diamond League circuit was moving into Europe.

Richard Kilty’s retirement was bittersweet. After a career defined by incredible highs (World Indoor Gold) and administrative lows (relay medal stripping due to a teammate's violation), Kilty decided that his 35-year-old legs had given their last explosive burst.

By retiring in May, he bypassed the British Championship season, signalling that the younger generation of GB sprinters was ready to take the mantle.

The most anticipated retirement in the history of the sport was that of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. While she had dropped hints for years, the "Pocket Rocket" confirmed that August 2025 would be her final month of competitive racing.

Following the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stood on the track of the National Stadium and waved a final goodbye. Unlike others who slipped away quietly, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s August exit was a global celebration.

She chose the World Championships as her curtain call because she wanted her final race to be against the best in the world, not a ceremonial exhibition.

The image of her crossing the finish line, adjusting her signature vibrant wig, and hugging her rivals remains the defining image of 2025.

Her departure in August marked the end of the most decorated female sprinting career in history, leaving Jamaica to search for a new matriarch for its sprint dynasty.

“For nearly two decades, I have made every second count, and I give God all the glory for blessing me with a career in something I have grown to love so deeply,” Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce said in a statement released after the World Championships.

“This sport has given me joy beyond measure. It has shaped me, disciplined me, and carried me to heights I could only dream of as a young girl in Waterhouse. Yet as I reflect, I no longer see time only in seconds, I see it in years. The years I gave to sprinting will forever remain among the greatest of my life.”

As the season moved into its twilight, Tori Franklin chose the Diamond League Final in September to take her final jump.

Tori Franklin, an American pioneer in the triple jump, had long been a fan favourite for her expressive personality and advocacy for mental health in sports.

Her retirement in September was strategic. She wanted to finish the full circuit, honouring her contracts and giving fans in Europe and the US one last chance to see her fly.

When she stepped out of the pit for the last time in Brussels, the track world knew it was losing a diplomat of the sport. Franklin’s post-retirement plans, specifically her interest in transitioning to winter sports, became a major talking point throughout the autumn.

Perhaps the most emotional retirement of the year came in November. While the track season technically ends in September, distance runners often wait until the cross-country or fall road-racing season to make their future clear.

Evan Jager, the man who broke the Kenyan monopoly on the steeplechase, waited until the quiet of November to announce he would not be returning for 2026.

Jager’s announcement reflected his personality, humble and focused. After years of battling Achilles injuries and comeback attempts, he realised his body would not allow him to compete at the sub-8:00 level required for global medals.

By announcing in November, he allowed the American distance community to process the loss of its greatest barrier-jumper during the off-season.