Shellyann Fraserpryce

The 32-year-old created history at the last edition of the event in Doha, where she became the first woman to win four 100m world titles.  Fraser-Pryce has captured the world title at the Berlin (2009), Moscow (2013), Beijing (2015) and Doha (2018) World Championships.

Even though it is the Tokyo Olympics that is on the immediate horizon, the diminutive sprinter admits it is hard not to try and take a peek a little further ahead, an event that is likely to be her last major games appearance.

“After Tokyo, I am the defending champion at the world championships in Eugene and that is so close to home,” Fraser-Pryce told the AFP.

“It’s a few hours [flight] from Jamaica and to be able to end a career close to home, where I can have most, if not all, of my family in attendance, would be the highlight of my career,” she added.

“I am taking it a year at a time. After Tokyo, I can make that decision.”

The four-time world 100m champion clocked 10.86 lowering her own season-best and world lead of 10.87 set on August 8. Elaine Thompson-Herah, running in a separate heat, clocked 10.92, the second-fastest time on the day.

Fraser-Pryce, who has a personal best of 10.70, was a comfortable winner over sprint hurdler Megan Tapper (11.82) and Melaine Walker 12.85. She revealed afterwards that in the days leading up the meet there were challenges.

“I am excited about the time because the last two weeks since I ran the last Velocity Fest things haven’t been going well with my knee and my toe so I am just careful to come out here and put together a solid run, so I am very happy for that,” she said.

That being said, the two-time Olympic champion indicated that Saturday’s run might be her last for 2020 as she looks forward to the possibility of the Olympic Games in the summer of 2021.

“It’s something that I am contemplating. As I said, this year there is nothing much to prove. Next year, hopefully, there will be an Olympic Games and you don’t want to risk anything at this point, so for me it’s something that is definitely on the books.”

 There was a national outcry for Campbell-Brown to replace the greenhorn from the MVP Track Club. Surely, she would not be able to go to Beijing and do better than Campbell-Brown, the seasoned campaigner who won gold over 200m in Athens four years before and the 100m title in Osaka in 2007.

Stung by the naysayers calling for her head Fraser silenced them by becoming the first Jamaican woman to win an Olympic 100m title as Jamaica finished 1-2-2 in the finals. She would go on to win another Olympic 100m title four years later in London and just last year won an unprecedented fourth 100m title in Doha in 2019.

A 200m World title and an Olympic 200m silver medal have cemented her a legacy as arguably Jamaica’s greatest female sprinter and one of the best of all time.

She now says that she forgives those naysayers because she understands why they did.

"I’m not gonna say I blame them. I cannot because at the time Veronica was a sure thing,” Fraser-Pryce said during an interview with Yendi Phillips on her YouTube show Odyssey, Untold Journeys with Yendi.

“Looking back now I cannot say I would have sit down in my days and be at home and somebody say ‘Veronica naw run’ and me would a probably take that. Me woulda say ‘No, mi waan Veronica run,” said the four-time 100m World Champion.

“I remember watching that Olympics, 2004 Olympics, at home. Veronica was the standard. So I cannot imagine that they would have said anything different and I understand.

 I have forgiven all of that. I have moved on because I understand that while it shouldn’t have happened based on the rules, I understand where everybody was coming from and I think at the end of the day, I’m glad that I was able to open the doors for younger athletes to understand that anything that you set out to achieve, your age, it don’t matter. When you’re ready, you show up, and you go out there and you go after it.”

Fraser-Pryce won section two of the event, getting the better of Sashalee Forbes, 11.20, and Kasheika Cameron, 11.56.

Thompson-Herah won section three of the event, clocking an equally quick 10.88 seconds to get the better of Natasha Morrison, 11.25, and Anthonique Strachan, 11.46.

When all the times were collated, Fraser-Pryce led from Thompson-Herah, while Forbes was third overall.

Coming into the race, Fraser-Pryce had clocked 11.28, while Thomson-Herah had 11.41.

In the men’s event, the returning Nesta Carter clocked 10.20 to win section 5, just ahead of Oshane Bailey, 10.24.

Carter’s sectional win was only good enough for second, as Tyquendo Tracey’s 10.20 in section four, saw him finish just ahead, while Romario Williams’ 10.21 and second place in that heat saw him third overall.

The 34-year-old, 2012 Olympic silver medalist, ran a personal best of 21.79 to win the half-lap sprint at the Jamaican national championships on June 27 but said there were things she can improve on before she goes into the Olympic Games in Tokyo. She wants to focus on making those improvements when she races in Monaco.

“I know Monaco has a very good track and the last time I ran (the 200m) was in Kingston and I ran 21 and I definitely felt like there are phases in that race where I could have done better, so I am hoping to do that tomorrow,” said Fraser-Pryce while at a pre-meet press conference in Monaco today.

“I am working on phases that will give me the advantage.”

The four-time world champion revealed that she is in the best shape of her life and gave credit to her coach Reynaldo Walcott, whom she said has helped put her in the position she now finds herself in.

“I’d definitely say I am in the best shape of my life and what a time for that to happen. It’s been something that I have been working so hard towards to break the 10.7 barrier and to be able to do it under the conditions that I did, I know I am definitely able to go faster,” she said.

“My coach was actually a part of my old coaching system (at MVP) before he left, so I think what has made the difference this year is focusing on the technique and that came through a lot of endurance work because as a sprinter I was so focused on my turnovers and less about having big strides and maintaining towards the end so I definitely think that was where the difference was made, endurance, keeping my technique and changing my technique.”

She admitted that this has been an exciting year for her having achieved one of her main goals of running below 10.7 seconds, which has now given her more confidence in the pursuit of her ultimate goal of winning a third Olympic 100m title, something no other woman has done.

“I am definitely having fun. I’ve said for a long time that my dream was to run below 10.7 because I’ve been running 10.7s every year at every championship and to be able to break the 10.7 barrier is just something that I really wanted to do and now that I am able to do it, I feel so much more confident in my technique and being patient with the phases of the race and I think that has definitely made the difference in terms of the 200m,” she said.

“To be able to stand on the podium at my fourth Olympics is definitely one of the goals and I am working so hard towards it but as an athlete, I have always understood that you take it a day at a time, a step at a time, and I think coming here to Monaco to run this 200m will definitely put me in a position to make it happen.

“I am delighted that I even have this opportunity to contend because not a lot of athletes get the opportunity to contend for a fourth Olympic Games and three Olympic gold medals so I am excited about that opportunity and I am looking forward to it. Things have been going great so far and I am relishing the moment, the excitement of what female sprinting has become.”

The Jamaican looked in superb form as she stopped the clocked at 10.87, easily covering the field before shutting down comfortably ahead of Britain’s Daryll Neita and Germany’s  

Gina Lückenkemper who also qualified.

In fact, overall, as expected, there was no drama in the opening round as Fraser-Pryce compatriots Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah also won their heats, while the fourth Jamaican Kemba Nelson also advanced to the semi-finals after being third in Heat 4.

“I was trying to qualify as easy as possible and I hope I was able to do that and just look forward to the next round,” Fraser-Pryce said after the race.

“I couldn’t see the start from where I was so I’m not sure how that was executed but I’m sure when I go around the coach will have it and I’ll be able to look at it and see if I was able to execute.  First rounds are usually hit and miss because there are so many things happening.”

Fraser-Pryce, who will be looking for a 5^th world title, has come into the event with the fastest time in the world this year, 10.67, recorded in Nairobi, Kenya.

The primary matchup for the race will that between Fraser-Pryce, whose 6.98s is the fifth-fastest in history against Ivorian sprint queen Murielle Ahoure, whose 6.97s makes her the joint fourth fastest. Ahoure won the World Indoor title in 2018.

Regarded as arguably the best female sprinter in history, Fraser-Pryce is coming off a successful 2019 when she claimed her fourth 100m world title in a world-leading 10.71s in Doha, Qatar last September and is aiming to bow out with a third 100m gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

A five-time global sprint medallist and 2016 Olympian, Ahoure’s performance to win gold at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham two years ago will undoubtedly stand her out as the woman to beat indoors this year.

However, local eyes will fall on Amy Hunt, the 17-year-old who sizzled to a 22.42 world U18 best last year in Mannheim, Germany, before going on to win the European U20 title in the same event weeks later.

Meanwhile, Whyte a member of Jamaica’s gold-medal winning 4x100m team in Doha and seen as one of the emerging talents who will ultimately replace her more celebrated Jamaican counterpart will be aiming to build on her success.

Williams, the 2018 Commonwealth Games 100m silver medallist, recently relocated to the United States and will be looking for early signs that she made the right move when she broke ties with the MVP Track Club.

The five-time world 100m champion made the cut after the three-way voting process determined the finalists.

The World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family cast their votes by email, while fans logged their decisions online via the World Athletics social media platforms where a record 1.3 million votes were registered.

The World Athletics Council’s vote counted for 50 per cent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes each counted for 25 per cent of the final result.

Shericka Jackson, the 2022 World 200m champion, failed to make the cut.

Fraser-Pryce being among the finalists was not surprising given the outstanding year she had last season when she became the first running athlete to win five world titles in the same event and ran a record seven times under 10.7s including a world-leading 10.62s.

She was also the Diamond League champion for the fifth time in her illustrious career.

Also among the finalists is the newly minted 100m hurdles world-record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, who added the Diamond League and Commonwealth Games title to her resume during the past season. She set a new world record of 12.12 during the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July before running a wind-aided 12.06 to win her first global title.

Another world-record holder, Sydney McLaughlin of the United States, is also among the finalists. The super-talented American broke the 400m hurdles world record twice during the season – 51.41 at the US Championships before lowering it to a jaw-dropping 50.68 in the final of the World Championships.

McLaughlin won a second gold medal in Oregon as a member of the USA’s 4x400m relay team.

Also among the finalists is Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, the 2022 World Indoor and Outdoor triple jump champion. The 2022 Diamond League champion also improved upon her own world record in the event with a 15.74m performance in Belgrade.

Peru’s Kimberly Garcia completes the five finalists. Garcia, the World 20km race walk champion is her country’s first ever World Athletics Championships medallist. Garcia is also the World 35km race walk champion in a South American record that saw her complete a race walk double.

She is also World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships 20km bronze medallist.

The winner of World Athletics Women Athlete of the Year will be announced in early December.

Her decision to make her views known comes in the wake of an opinion put forward recently by opposition spokesman on health Dr Morais Guy, who says he fears that giving the go-ahead for the resumption of sporting events could cause a significant rise in the number of Covid-19 infections across the island.

“In light of the new spike in numbers, I would recommend that caution be taken to hold off for some time longer. With the current numbers and the resumption of sporting [disciplines] in whatever form there is, the likelihood of a greater spread considering the numbers we have now, plus the interaction of players with each other and the community,” Dr Guy told the Jamaica Observer.

Jamaica has recorded close to 2000 new cases in recent days prompting Prime Minister Andrew Holness to announce new restrictions on movement across the island, especially at night.

However, Fraser-Pryce, who is preparing to compete in her final Olympic Games this summer, believes such a move is not progressive and said as much in a lengthy post on her Facebook account on Saturday.

“I note that there has been some push back to the recent decision by the relevant authorities to give permission for the resumption of sporting activities on a case-by-case basis and without spectators,” said Fraser-Pryce who has yet to open her season because of the cancellation of several track and field meets in recent weeks.

“Some stakeholders in the national conversation have bluntly said that in light of the Covid-19 cases spike in Jamaica, the Government should hold off on granting permission to prospective Sporting events holders applying to the Director of Sports in the Sports Ministry with a view of having their events held.

“While I do not wish to make a political statement, from a point of view of good sense and logic, the perspective that the process established, whereby permission for the holding of sporting events should be suspended, is a perspective not shared by the majority of invested parties.”

The four-time world champion and national 100m record holder argued that there is no evidence that sporting events that have no spectators in a stadium or where spectators are socially distant, have contributed to, or are likely to contribute to, a further spike in Covid-19 cases locally.

She added that she does not believe it is beyond the country to separate elite athletes and limit the number of competitors for each track meet while at the same time allowing for some meaningful resumption of events.

She cited the Velocity Fest meets held at the height of the pandemic last year when no athlete who participated tested positive for the virus.

“We should build on this and pave the way for more sporting events to be had in a safe manner,” Fraser-Pryce opined, adding that the reluctance to resume sporting events is having deleterious effects on athletes and sporting organizations.

“I urge the authorities to bear in mind that many participants in the sports industry in Jamaica cannot go overseas to compete. The mandatory two-week quarantine requirement upon return is not feasible and there's no funding mechanism in place to assist those who are struggling badly due to a lack of finances,” she said.

“I also believe there is room to call for genuine additional support to be given to assist the athletes and other participants in the sports industry.”

She said that while she is aware of the risks associated with competing while the pandemic stiff rages, Fraser-Pryce noted that athletes competing in a controlled environment are safer than those going about their regular daily pursuits. 

“Our regular day-to-day activities are way riskier in terms of exposure when compared to a controlled environment, where tests are conducted and participants in the industry - including those who engage in contact sports - are allowed to proceed with their discipline,” she said.

“Additionally, proper structures, which include testing and adherence to protocols, have also been put in place overseas to accommodate the hosting of contact sports including boxing and football, among others.

“I am confident it is not beyond us here in Jamaica to put in place similar systems to limit the risk of Covid-19 spread while at the same time allowing for the reasonable resumption of the sports industry which has contributed so much to Brand Jamaica.

“It is my view that in the interest of the athletes, along with the national and global psyche and the thousand who depend on the industry, we should strongly resist talk of "holding off" on the process allowed for a formal but control and safe resumption of sporting events.”

In late September, after a season during which she overcame knee and hamstring injuries to win a bronze medal in the 100m at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, to go along with the 10 gold and five silver medals she has won in eight championship appearances since 2007, Fraser-Pryce, at the invitation of Bottega Veneta Creative Director Matthieu Blazy, took a trip to Milan to lose herself in the world of fashion as she continued to heal from the rigours of a challenging season and enjoyed it immensely.

She revealed it was an eye-opening experience.

“I am going there and I am thinking that this thing is going be like an Olympics where everybody comes with their different fashions and then they showcase it at the event. I didn’t know everybody had like a day to themselves. And people made it like a thing where you had persons that flew to Milan just to dress up, go on the street and take pictures.

“So, it was definitely something different from what I am used to in terms of track but it was a good experience. I saw some fashion that were ‘nice, love it’. Wear it? Maybe, maybe not,” she said with a giggle. “But it was a good experience. I loved the fact that I was invited by Bottega, by Matthieu and his team and I am looking forward to doing more of those events.”

During the course of her illustrious career, Fraser-Pryce has become known for her ever-evolving style. Her wigs and outfits have raised eyebrows and won the approval of her many fans. Few will forget her colourful wigs that have accentuated her outstanding performances at global championships over the past few years as well as her keen sense of style off the track while attending local and international engagements.

So it was not really much a surprise to hear the two-time Olympic 100m gold medallist reveal that fashion is something she could get into when her medal-filled career draws to a close.

“I think for me style is unique. Style is something that is personal and unique to you, some definitely that is something that I would tap into. It is never too late to start something. It may not be a thing when you’re younger but as you get older you like different things. The older I get I like silence or you like plants, so yes, I am looking forward to doing more of those things and I am grateful to Bottega for the outpouring and love and support that they gave me. I was shocked when I got the invitation.

“But when I got there I was in the front row, met some lovely people and I think I actually met a Jamaican model who walked in the show as well so it was awesome.”

The 35-year-old five-time World 100m champion donated the singlet worn in the 100m final at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July.

Hers is among the 32 artefacts donated by 21 athletes from 16 countries and five areas to have contributed to the museum.

According to World Athletics, much of the clothing, shoes, equipment, and trophies entering MOWA, were donated to the World Athletics Heritage Collection during 2022 and were exhibited in MOWA Heritage exhibitions in Muscat, Belgrade, Portland, and Eugene this year.

Currently, the new additions are on show at the World Athletics offices in Monaco and will be exhibited next year in a five-month-long exhibition in Budapest, ahead of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (19-27 August 2023).

Also making contributions this year were USA’s discus thrower Valarie Allman, who donated singlet and briefs and a pair of throwing shoes, Rai Benjamin, the 400m hurdler who donated a pair of spikes and Norway’s Jakob Ingerbrigsten, whose contribution was a bodysuit and name bib.

The shirts will feature Fraser-Pryce’s signature as well as the Olympic rings on the sleeve. Donors will also receive a mask signed by Fraser-Pryce and a Pocket Rocket pin.

Fraser-Pryce, who lowered her 100m personal best to 10.60 this season, says all proceeds will go towards the Pocket Rocket Foundation.

The nine-time World Championships gold medallist reminded potential Visa donors that their contributions are for a good cause.

“I know you guys are eager to grab the shirts but please be reminded that this will go towards the Pocket Rocket Foundation and your support means the world to us and all our student-athletes, the ones who are still here and the ones who are coming for the future,” she said.

This branded shirts venture is the latest in a number of initiatives Fraser-Pryce has undertaken to raise funds for the foundation. Last month, she was the guest of honour at an auction held at the Miramar Cultural Centre in Florida. 

During a media session with media, earlier today on the eve of her Diamond League 100m race in Doha on Friday, the two-time Olympic 100m champion and four-time World Champion was asked what she hopes to get out of the Olympic Games.

“Having been on the podium so many times, if I am honest, I am really looking forward to being on the podium, which is good for me, but I think this time around I am looking forward to running below 10.70. That is definitely a big dream and something that I am working hard towards,” she said.

 “To have both (medal and time) would definitely be a blessing, but if you ask me which one I would rank higher I would definitely say I want to run 10.6 or even faster. That is definitely what I want but to have the combination would be good so I am working towards the combination as well.”

Chasing times, she explained, would not be detrimental to her goals of bettering her personal best (10.70), a national record that she shares with double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, because she believes the quality of her competitors will help her achieve the time she seeks as well as medals.

“The harder the competitions are the better I am at performing,” said Fraser-Pryce, who has run some of her fastest time in the finals of global competitions.

“I like a challenge, I like when the competition is hot because, at the end of the day, that is what the Diamond League is about as well because when you are at a Diamond League you know the field is going to be good and it’s going to be solid,” she said.
“When you’re in a race and you’re the sole competitor that is doing well, the pressure is not there as if you if have competitors that are doing exceptionally well just like you, so for me, I think the bigger the field is the bigger I perform because I love the opportunity to rise and I think those are the opportunities I get when I compete in a field that’s stacked.”

In July, Fraser-Pryce won her fifth 100m World title with a 10.67 clocking at the World Championships in Eugene. She also won silver medals in the 200m (21.81) and 4x100m. With just a week between the end of the World Championships and the start of the Track and Field program at the Commonwealth Games, Fraser-Pryce explained that the short turnaround wasn’t ideal for her.

“Well, the Commonwealth Games was just never on the agenda for me this year,” 2022’s fastest woman explained in an interview with Mirror. “Especially because I did the double at the World Championships, 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 added.

The 37-year-old, regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, won the 100m title in 2008 and 2012. Fraser-Pryce also won Tokyo 2020 Olympic relay gold, plus three of her 10 world titles, in a comeback after giving birth to her son in 2017.

"There's not a day I'm getting up to go practise and I'm like, 'I'm over this," she told Essence.com.

"My son needs me. My husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me.

"We're a partnership, a team. And it's because of that support that I'm able to do the things that I have been doing for all these years. And I think I now owe it to them to do something else," she added.

On that note, Fraser-Pryce pointed out that this year's Olympics in Paris were about "showing people that you stop when you decide.

"I want to finish on my own terms," she declared.

In total, Fraser-Pryce has won three Olympic golds, four silvers and a bronze.

The 35-year-old Mommy Rocket made the revelation recently at the annual Pocket Rocket Scholarship Awards at the Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston where seven new awardees received bursaries and gifts valued at J$190,000, a significant increase over previous years since the foundation began awarding scholarships in 2013.

At the start of last season, after a 200m race at the National Stadium in Kingston, Fraser-Pryce announced that her goal for the season was to run as fast as 10.5 or 10.4s and, of course, win a record-extending fifth 100m title having previously won in 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019.

Speaking to Sportsmax.TV afterwards the awards ceremony, Fraser-Pryce, who ran a record seven-times under 10.70 seconds last season, more than any other woman has ever done, explained why she was not disappointed at not going faster than the world-leading 10.62 she ran in Monaco on August 10.

“Honestly, I am not disappointed because the conversation I had with my coach before was that to be able to run 10.5 or 10.6 you have to be able to run 10.6 consistently and I think I was able to do that,” said Fraser-Pryce.

“It was almost like second nature, automatic that I could switch on, so now that I have had that work done this season then it’s going back to the drawing board and cementing the things that I have learnt this (past) season and also getting better at some other things, hopefully I will be able to go below 10.6 soon.

“At this stage of my career that is what I am chasing, fast times that is what I am really chasing. I have accomplished a lot of things, I won my fifth world title…and I want to make sure that when I leave I (would have) given everything. That’s just the goal to make sure that the day I depart and I sit at home I would be contented that I gave everything that I could and I left no stones unturned.”

To do that, she said, there are certain things that she must improve for the coming season when she could be gunning for a sixth world 100m title in Budapest.

“Practicing relaxation has been the key and I need to be confident in my technique,” she said. “I need to have that confidence…I need to trust that technique and trust that it is not going to fail me; just making sure that I stay relaxed and execute the phases of the race the proper race all should go well.”

The mark, which was registered in a 1.3 legal wind reading, obliterated the country’s previous national record of 10.70 that she previously shared with compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah. 

The run also moved the athlete up the world fastest list, sitting her second behind the United States’ Florence Griffith Joyner who still holds the record 10.49, which was set in 1988.  Another US athlete, Carmelita Jeter, has now dropped to third on the all-time list with her time of 10.65.

The race was only the athlete’s third 100m of the season, after opening with a fourth-place finish in Gateshead, followed by a win in Doha, where she ran the then third fastest time this season (10.84), in a pair of Diamond League events. 

Earlier this week, the athlete had claimed that prioritising fast times would be the aim this season, for what will be her final Olympic Games this summer.

Natasha Morrison, who recorded her personal best earlier this season (10.87), was second behind Fraser-Pryce with a time of 10.95, with Kashieka Cameron third with 11.39.

The 2022 World 100m champion has made running 10.6s a habit this year following yet another time of 10.67 at the meet where she ran 10.82 to finish second to Elaine Thompson-Herah in 2021.  Back then Thompson-Herah won in a meet record of 10.71.

The 35-year-old Fraser-Pryce eclipsed that record after achieving her fifth time this year under 10.70 seconds having run 10.67 in Nairobi in May, 10.67 in Paris in June, 10.67 in Eugene in July and a world-leading 10.66 in Silesia on Saturday. No other woman in history has run as many times under 10.70s in any one season.

The USA’s Tamari Davis finished second in 10.92 while Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji was third in 10.99.

Yohan Blake (10.03) and Ackeem Blake (10.05) were fourth and fifth, respectively in the men’s 100m won by the USA’s Marvin Bracy in 9.97. Trayvon Bromell finished second in 10.01, the same time as Elijah Hall as 0.04 separated second to fifth.

Jackson cruised to victory in the 200m in 22.02 finishing well clear of Kambundji at 22.45 and Kaylia Whyte of the USA, who was third in 22.46. Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas was fifth in 22.63.

Erriyon Knighton won the men’s race in 19.88. Aaron Brown finished second in 20.24. Alexander Ogando was third in 20.46.

Fresh off his Commonwealth Games 110m hurdles title that he won in a championship record of 13.08, Rasheed Broadbell came from behind to edge World Champion Grant Holloway at the line to win the event in 13.12. Holloway was given the same time while Daniel Roberts was third in 13.13.

Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the hurdles in a slightly windy 12.27 over Kendra Harrison at 12.49 and Nia Ali at 12.60.

Commonwealth Games champion Janieve Russell clocked 54.14 for second place and Rushell Clayton finished third in 54.45 in the 400m hurdles race more than two seconds behind Olympic, World Champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin, who established yet another meet record with her time of 51.68.

Jamaica’s Fraser-Pryce, who won her fifth world title in Eugene last month, has run world leading times at the last two Diamond League stops in Silesia and Monaco.

Unbeaten in the 100m this season, the Jamaican has produced six sub 10.7 times so far and will look to add a seventh and book a spot in the Diamond League final in Zurich on September 7-8.

Asher-Smith, who won gold in the 200m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha to go along with her 100m silver, has a season’s best of 10.83 which she ran to finish fourth at the World Championships in Eugene.

Marie-Josee Ta Lou, who sped to a personal best and African record 10.72 to finish third behind Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson in Monaco, will also be in the race as well as the USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson.