JAMAICAN SPRINT icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has won the Sportswoman of the Year award at the Laureus Sports Awards recently held in Paris.

Fraser-Pryce is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest female sprinters in history.  She had a memorable 2022 – with a record fifth 100m gold at the World Athletic Championships in 2022, 13 years after her first. She has more world sprint titles than any other athlete and in 2022 ran sub-10.7 seconds in the 100m seven times, three more than the previous best for a female sprinter in a calendar year.

When athletes have the spotlight, it’s important the example we set is the best it can be

Whether the benchmark is speed, consistency or longevity, nobody came close to Jamaica’s ‘Pocket Rocket’ and after her sixth nomination for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, this is her first win at the Laureus Awards.

Of her latest award, Fraser-Pryce said: “I was thrilled to be nominated alongside such inspiring women athletes, and to win this Award, voted for by some of the greatest sportsmen and women of all time, is just amazing.

“This is the sixth time I’ve been nominated in this category, so to finally hold the Laureus Statuette in my hands is one of the greatest honours of my career.

“When athletes have the spotlight, it’s important the example we set is the best it can be. We have a responsibility to influence the next generation in a positive way and that’s what the Laureus Awards are all about.”