Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the fastest woman alive to run the 100-meter dash on Saturday and is second to only one other woman in history, Florence Griffith “Flo-Jo” Joyner, according to Black Entertainment Television (BET).
Clocking an incredible 10.63 at a meet in Kingston, the Jamaican capital, on Saturday, BET said Fraser-Pryce blew her competitors away and obliterated the national record of 10.70 “that she shared with Elaine Thompson-Herah, who won gold in the 100m at the 2016 Olympics.”
“Fraser-Pryce’s 10.63 is the fourth-fastest time ever recorded,” BET said. “Flo-Jo had run the three fastest times ever in 1988 (10.49, 10.61 and 10.62).”
NBC Sports also said that the two-time Olympic 100m champion clocked the world’s fastest women’s 100m in nearly 33 years and “re-established herself as the favorite for a third gold in Tokyo.”
Fraser-Pryce had won the 2019 World title “coming back from childbirth,” NBC Sports said.
“I’m at a loss for words because 10.6 has been a dream, a goal,” NBC quoted Fraser-Pryce as saying, adding that “she bettered the national record of 10.70 that she shared with 2016 Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah.
“Now 34, Fraser-Pryce bids this summer to become the first woman to win one individual Olympic track and field event three times, plus the oldest woman to win an individual Olympic sprint title,” NBC continued.
It said that going into Saturday, the Olympic favorite appeared to be 21-year-old American Sha’Carri Richardson, who clocked 10.72, 10.74 and 10.77 so far this spring.
Thompson-Herah ranks third in the world this year with a 10.78, NBC said, adding that Fraser-Pryce trailed both of them coming into Saturday with a 10.84 from last week.
