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250914 — TOKYO, Sept. 14, 2025 — Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica reacts before the women s 100m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 14, 2025. SPJAPAN-TOKYO-ATHLETICS-WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS-WOMEN S 100M-FINAL WangxLili PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN
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250914 — TOKYO, Sept. 14, 2025 — Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica reacts before the women s 100m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 14, 2025. SPJAPAN-TOKYO-ATHLETICS-WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS-WOMEN S 100M-FINAL WangxLili PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce knew she had to retire post Paris 2024 because she ‘owes it’ to her family. Her son needed her, and her husband had sacrificed a lot for her. So her priority was to give them time post her retirement, but there was another thing on that list. Something she had worked equally hard for, and has now focused her attention toward after finally retiring last year, at 38.
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Fraser-Pryce has now been named an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. It brings her back into the spotlight, but in a different way this time.
“Sports has changed my life and I am proud to join a movement that uses sports to change young lives around the world,” Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce said.
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Referencing Nelson Mandela, she added, “Sport has the power to change the world. That’s a message I can support.”
And if you’ve followed her journey, this move feels obvious. Long before this role, since 2013, particularly, she was working through the Pocket Rocket Foundation, supporting young athletes in Jamaica with scholarships and mentorship. By 2025, the foundation had crossed more than 113 scholarships, with around 47 students supported at the same time.
In fact, she’d earmarked some of her time after retirement for such activities. Speaking to Olympics.com, Fraser-Pryce had said that the other thing on her post-retirement agenda included building on her legacy away from the track, mainly helping underprivileged kids.
“I’m excited to announce that I’ll be joining Laureus as an ambassador.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce 🇯🇲 has joined @LaureusSport as an ambassador and will attend the prestigious awards ceremony on 20 April.
In 2023, she was awarded Sportswoman of the Year!! 🥳🚀
— Owen (@_OwenM_) April 10, 2026
Thus, even those welcoming her into this space see her as a great fit. Sebastian Coe called her “one of the most dominant and longest-serving athletes” and praised her, “For nearly 20 years, she set extraordinary standards on the track, not only through her performances but through the grace and resilience she brings to everything she does… she will play a huge role in helping Laureus continue its mission of improving young lives through the power of sport.”
With this, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce now joins an existing group of Laureus ambassadors, including Eileen Gu, Jude Bellingham, Simone Biles, and Thiago Alcantara, athletes who are already part of the movement.
Also, Madrid becomes her next stop as she will attend the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards later this month. Fraser-Pryce herself has been nominated six times for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award throughout her athletics career.
And now, as she walks into that space, a new generation continues to rise alongside her. This year’s nominees include Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Faith Kipyegon. In another timeline, perhaps, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce might still have been among them if it weren’t for that one decision she made in October 2025.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce turns Paris disappointment into Tokyo goodbye
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce never planned for her career to end with a question mark. In early 2024, she had already decided that the 2024 Paris Olympics would be her final stage. But Paris didn’t give her that moment. An injury during warm-up forced her to withdraw before the 100m semi-final, leaving her without a race.
“I believe I didn’t get the opportunity to really just do what I know I could have done in that moment. And it was hurtful,” she said later. “I had worked so hard to get to that moment and I couldn’t get to the finish line,” she said, which was what hit her.
Thus, instead of retiring in 2024, Fraser-Pryce made a decision to come back for another year. She called it “unfinished business.” It was her chance to rewrite the ending on her own terms. And then at 38, she returned to the track and qualified for the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
There, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce reached the 100m final but finished sixth with a time of 11.03 seconds. She also helped Jamaica secure silver in the 4x100m relay. And then retired officially.
Behind that decision were deeper reasons, too. 18 years of sprinting had taken their toll on her body. Plus, her motherly responsibilities towards her son Zyon were another reason; after all, she had already achieved everything the sport could offer.
As Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce says, “I am a proud daughter of the soil and I owe an eternal debt of gratitude to Jamaica. To my fellow Jamaicans thank you for your unyielding love, loyalty and pride that have propelled me year after year…”
And with that, her racing chapter closed, but her presence in the sport clearly did not, as she will continue to extend that through her time at Laureus.
