My painting of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce winning the 100 meters at the 2012 London Olympic Games, repeating her 2008 victory in Beijing, China.]
Olympic and World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has encouraged athletes facing setbacks to not be overcome by the many barriers they face on the road to recovery.
The 32-year-old Fraser-Pryce has amazed sports fans everywhere by recently clocking some of the best times in her career, having taken time off from the sport to have her first child almost two years ago. Recently, the sprinter dismissed the field at the London Anniversary Games clocking 10.78.
The time was Fraser-Pryce’s third-fastest run this year and the third time the athlete has clocked a time in the 10.7s range. Her best time this season was a sizzling 10.73, just three-hundredths of a second outside of her personal best.
“For me, it’s a testament to hard work and being committed and mentally driven as an athlete. Time after time you hear persons telling you what you can do and what you can’t do and what is possible and what isn’t possible. For me those are barriers and boundaries I continue to leap over,” Fraser-Pryce said.
“You have so many people that are dealing with injuries that are out for 2 years, three years and they think they can’t come back but you can,” she added.
“It’s not just about mother for me but about athletes who are in a slump and who can’t get up believing it’s the end. It’s about mentally preparing for the battle ahead and understanding it’s you against everything else. You can overcome those obstacles.”
[REPRINTED FROM SPORTSMAX]
