Iconic sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has enjoyed a phenomenal season, including a fifth world title in the 100m at the World Championships in Eugene. Following her exploits in the US, many thought the effervescent Jamaican would take to the track at the Commonwealth Games where she would've been the clear favourite to claim the gold medal.
However, with just a week to prepare for the 22nd edition of the Games following a gruelling World Championship campaign, the 35-year-old is one of several elite athletes who were absent from the Birmingham event and she told Mirror Sport exactly why. “Well the Commonwealth Games was just never on the agenda for me this year,” 2022’s fastest woman explained. “Especially because I did the double at the world championship, it took a lot out of me to do, and the 4x100m.
"So to come back maybe a week or two after to do another three rounds and possibly two in the 4x100m, my coach said that would probably be too much for me to handle right now if I'm thinking about longevity and wanting to get to Paris 2024, so I had to be strategic about that." She missed the 2018 Gold Coast Games having had her son several months prior. But she did recall fond memories of her experience at the 2014 games in Glasgow, where she helped Team Jamaica claim gold in the 4x100m relay alongside Kerron Stewart, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Schillonie Calvert.
