Three-time Olympic champion sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will retire after the 2024 Paris Olympics, saying she owes it to her family.
Fraser-Pryce was the first 100-meter sprinter to win individual medals in four consecutive Olympic Games. The Jamaican began her journey in Beijing 2008, which saw her become the first Caribbean woman to win gold in the women's 100 meters.
She held on to her 100-meter title in London 2012, then despite battling a toe injury, she won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a silver in the 4x100 relay.
After giving birth in 2017, she won another Olympic silver and a relay gold at the Tokyo Games.
"My son needs me. My husband and I have been together since before I won in 2008. He has sacrificed for me," the 37-year-old Fraser-Pryce told Essence.com.
"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," she added. "I think I now owe it to them to do something else."
Fraser-Pryce said she is focused on preparing for Paris, which she views as an opportunity to push boundaries. She finished third at the worlds last year and is considered a contender in Paris, along with defending world champion Sha'Carri Richardson and two-time defending Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah.
It is about "showing people that you stop when you decide. I want to finish on my own terms," Fraser-Pryce said.
In 2019, Fraser-Pryce became the oldest woman to claim the 100-meter world championship title in Doha, Qatar. She further solidified this achievement by winning the title again at the age of 35 in Eugene, Oregon, in 2022, 14 years after her initial Olympic triumph. In all, she has won 10 gold medals at world championships, including six individual championships -- five in the 100 and one in the 200.
"It's not enough that we step on a track and we win medals. You have to think about the next generation that's coming after you and give them the opportunity to also dream -- and dream big," Fraser-Pryce said.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.