SAINT-DENIS, France — Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s pursuit of another Olympic title came to an unexpected halt on Saturday when she withdrew from the 100-meter semifinal at the Paris Games due to an undisclosed injury.
The announcement of her withdrawal was made just moments before she was scheduled to compete against Sha’Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred, resulting in the letters “DNS” — “Did Not Start” — appearing on the scoreboard. Team manager Ludlow Watts noted that they were informed of her injury, and a team doctor was attending to the situation, promising further updates.
Julien Alfred ultimately triumphed, defeating Sha’Carri Richardson in both the semifinal and the final to claim the gold medal.
Fraser-Pryce, a two-time Olympic champion in the 100 meters from 2008 and 2012, previously declared that this would be her final Olympics. Early Sunday, she expressed her disappointment on social media, thanking her fans without detailing her injury. “It is difficult for me to find the words to describe the depth of my disappointment,” she wrote. “I know that my supporters share and shoulder this disappointment with me. I am truly blessed to have had the steadfast support of my fans since my Olympic debut in 2008.”
In the preliminary round the previous day, she had qualified smoothly, finishing second in her heat with a time of 10.92 seconds. Earlier that day, she was reported to have been initially blocked from accessing the warm-up track, but the Jamaica team clarified that she had been directed to the wrong entrance before being allowed in.
Fraser-Pryce boasts an impressive total of eight Olympic medals, including gold in the women’s 4×100 relay at the 2021 Tokyo Games, and has claimed 16 medals at world championships, with five titles in the 100-meter event, the latest of which was in 2022.
Her absence from the 100-meter race means that all three Jamaican athletes who swept the podium in Tokyo are now out of contention. Reigning champion Elaine Thompson-Herah had previously ended her season due to an Achilles injury, while bronze medalist Shericka Jackson announced earlier this week her focus on the 200-meter event.