Fraser-Pryce, who will be 36-years-old in December, won her fifth World Championship gold medal with a 10.67 effort in Eugene in July, one of her record six sub 10.7 times this season.
“I’ve dreamt of running 10.6 and to be able to do that consistently, it’s almost as if I want to be able to challenge myself every time I step to the line,” said Fraser-Pryce in a Wednesday press conference.
“It has been an incredible season. The Diamond League final is a big event but, I must say, female sprinting so far this season, especially in the 100m, has been big. No matter where the event is, you know the ladies are going to show up. For female sprinting, that’s a plus because you know that every time you stand at the line, you have to be ready for the competition and the energy is high,” she added while mentioning that her desire to go faster than her personal best of 10.60 done in Lausanne last year is also aided by this competition.
This will be Fraser-Pryce’s first Diamond League final since 2019 and, incredibly, her first time competing in Zurich.
“This is my first time competing at this track so I’m definitely looking forward to it,” she said.
Lining up alongside the five-time World Champion in Thursday’s race will be 200m World Champion and Jamaican teammate Shericka Jackson, Americans Sha’Carri Richardson, Aleia Hobbs and Twanisha Terry as well as the Ivory Coast’s Marie Josee Ta Lou, British champion Darryl Neita and another Jamaican, Natasha Morrison.
The fastest woman in the world this year will be in a lane for the Diamond League 100m final on Thursday, September 8, when she faces Shericka Jackson the only woman to defeat her this year and compatriot Natasa Morrison. She is also expected to face the likes of Aleia Hobbs, Twanisha Terry and Sha'Carri Richardson of the USA, Majinga Kambundji of Switzerland, Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast as well as Daryll Neita of Great Britain.
It was feared that the 35-year-old, five-time 100m world champion would not have been able to vie for a fifth Diamond League title after complaining of a tight hamstring that forced her to withdraw from Lausanne on August 26 and then finishing second to Jackson in Brussels on September 2, grimacing as she crossed the line in 10.74.
She intimated afterwards that she was unsure whether she would be competing in Zurich and had to listen to her body before making a decision. However, early Monday, she allayed those fears with a post on Facebook.
“The good news is you get to start a new week. Even better, you get to see another exciting race on Thursday,” she said.
“All roads lead to Zurich and I’m extremely grateful to be able to grace the track for this year’s Diamond League finale!”
This has been a history-making season for Fraser-Pryce, who seems to set a new standard each time she steps on the track. Not only did she win a record-extending fifth world 100m title in Oregon in July, she also became the only woman to run faster than 10.7 six times in a single season.
She ran 10.67 to open her season in Nairobi, Kenya on May 7, 10.67 at the Paris Diamond League meeting on June 18, and 10.67 to win the World Championships 100m final in Oregon on July 17.
She was only getting started. On August 6, she ran 10.66 in Poland and two days later, 10.67 in Hungary. She then went on to run 10.62 at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on August 10, a third time under 10.7 in a week.
Williams, the 2015 world champion and the 2019 bronze medalist, shocked a stacked field at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last week, winning her second title in 12.43s, her fastest time this year. In claiming victory, she defeated Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, former world record holder Kendra Harrison, who won silver and bronze, respectively.
Williams also defeated Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, who set the world record of 12.12 at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in 2022.
At Wednesday’s press conference ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, Williams was asked whether she believes she can challenge Amusan’s world record, which raised eyebrows when she stormed to victory in her semi-final heat last year.
“From the moment I started getting competitive in the hurdles, many people told me that I have the potential to break the world record. I didn't necessarily believe it at the time. I just thought, you know, you guys are just talking,” said Williams, who has run a lifetime best of 12.32, the second fastest time ever run by a Jamaican woman.
“But the more I go, the more I believe that it is in range.”
Williams, who was third at Jamaica’s national championships in July, revealed she has actually had dreams of setting the world record.
“Funny story, 12.12, the time that Tobi ran to break the record last year, I actually had a dream a few years ago that the world record was going to be 12.12 seconds. I thought it was that was going to be me who's going to break it, but it wasn't,” she said.
“And so I still believe that it is within range. You know, we're all out here, the essence of track and field is running as fast as you can, and so I believe that I can run 12.1 seconds. It's just a lot of things that need to be tweaked to get there, but I think I could get there.”
In Zurich on Thursday, Williams will once again face Camacho-Quinn and Harrison in Zurich in another stacked field that also includes 2019 world champion Nia Ali, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, Tia Jones and Alasyha Johnson.
