Athletics: Jamaican Sprinter Fraser-Pryce Keen To Launch World Title Defence In Nairobi

Athletics: Jamaican sprinter Fraser-Pryce keen to launch world title defence in Nairobi (Image Source: Google)

Jamaican female sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce hopes that an impressive run in Nairobi, Kenya, will help her defend her world title in Budapest with just 100 days remaining before the global track and field event.

Fraser-Pryce is in Kenya for the fourth edition of the Kip Keino Classic, a star-studded World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, which will take place on Saturday at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. She will compete in the women's 100m dash.

Speaking on Thursday ahead of the event, where she achieved a time of 10.67 last year before securing the world title in Eugene, Oregon, with the same world-leading mark in August 2022, the 36-year-old three-time Olympic champion aims to kick off her season on a high note, celebrating her recent recognition as the 2022 Laureus Sports Awards Female Athlete of the Year in Lausanne, Switzerland," reports Xinhua.

"I haven't run since September last year, but I'm looking forward to competing well at Kasarani. It's a different year, so I want to see where I stand for now," Fraser-Pryce said.

"Last year, I ran 200m in Kingston before coming here; this time, I haven't run at all. So, I need to come in, have a good time, execute, and see where I am. I'm sure it'll be fantastic," she added.

In Nairobi, she will face newly-minted Oceania record holder Zoe Hobbs from New Zealand, who officially dipped below the 11.00-second barrier at the Sydney Track Classic, clocking 10.97 on March 11.

Fraser-Pryce will vie for her 11th world title, but the anticipated showdown against American Sha'Carri Richardson, who ran a world-leading 10.76 and set a Doha Diamond League meet record last week, will not occur in Nairobi. Richardson is only expected to compete in the women's 200m.

"I feel good in this body; I definitely feel like a 21-year-old, which is great, but no two years are ever the same," she said.

"So, you continue to work, and I chose that. You correct things in training and then execute those improvements. Last year, I built on that - on the experiences and the moments that I had this year," remarked the Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion.