As the second heat of the women's 100m quarterfinals lined up for introductions at the Paris Olympics, there was one racer missing: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The Jamaican's absence is significant, as she had the fastest personal record of any runner who qualified for the semifinals.
Fraser-Pryce was part of a stacked quarterfinal that featured her, Sha'Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred. Only two automatic spots from each heat make it to the finals, so three fast runners was cause for dramatics until Fraser-Pryce dropped out.
In her absence, Alfred finished first and Richardson second, both advancing automatically to the finals.
Fraser-Pryce is an eight-time medalist, winning gold in the 100m sprint three times (2008, 2012, 2020). She will not be able to defend her title in Paris.
There was a moment, in a video that appeared to be shot on Saturday, getting through security for Fraser-Pryce and Richardson that appeared to amount in a small delay for both over what sounded like a policy misunderstanding based on social media videos disseminated.
The Jamaica Observer is reporting that Fraser-Pryce felt hamstring discomfort as she warmed up for the event. It has not been confirmed by Fraser-Pryce or the Jamaican athletics team.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Absent From 100m Semifinals at Paris Olympics.
