Five-time world 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will make her long-awaited return to competition on Saturday night when she opens her 2025 season at Velocity Fest 17 at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.

The 38-year-old sprint legend has not raced since the preliminary round of the women’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she surprisingly withdrew ahead of the semi-finals for reasons that remain unclear. It marked the first time in her illustrious career that Fraser-Pryce failed to advance to an Olympic 100m final and, more significantly, the first time she left a major championship without a medal.

In Paris, the three-time Olympic medalist was chasing history, aiming to become the first woman to win a medal in the 100m at five consecutive Olympic Games. She had previously claimed gold in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, bronze in Rio 2016, and silver in Tokyo 2020, making her the only woman to have medaled in the event at four straight Games.

Now, Fraser-Pryce begins the road to redemption on home soil. She is slated to face off against Olympian Natasha Morrison, emerging talent Shockoria Wallace, and veteran Jura Levy in one of two featured senior women’s 100m races at Velocity Fest 17. The meet, a key fixture on Jamaica’s domestic athletics calendar, offers a valuable platform for athletes fine-tuning their form ahead of the summer’s major competitions.

The sprint queen’s return comes just days after she amused fans by racing—and easily defeating—other parents at her son Zyon’s school sports day. But Saturday’s test will offer a more meaningful gauge of her current form as she eyes a possible farewell campaign at the highest level.

With Paris still fresh in memory, all eyes will be on Fraser-Pryce as she steps back into the blocks, hoping to chart a course toward another historic season.