Sport
London 2012: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce defends 100m title to take gold
With the victory, Fraser-Pryce became the first woman to repeat in the 100 since Gail Devers of the U.S. in 1992 and 1996.
“I don’t know much about the history of track and field,” Fraser-Pryce said, showing her mile-wide smile. “But I know Gail Devers.”
What a way to start a historic weekend in Jamaica, where the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain is Monday. It was on August 5, 1962, that the Union Jack was lowered for the final time at National Stadium in Kingston. In a picture-perfect bit of symmetry, the Jamaican flag will be raised Sunday – maybe Monday, too, if Usain Bolt or Yohan Blake or Asafa Powell win the men’s 100 – over Olympic Stadium in London for Fraser-Pryce’s medals ceremony.
“The excitement has already started,” she said. “For me, what’s really kind of exciting is we got our independence from England and now we’re here in England and we get our first medal. For me, that kind of tops it off.”
Another Jamaican, Veronica Campbell-Brown, finished third for her second career 100-meter bronze. The country fell out of the running for a repeat of its sweep in Beijing after 2008 silver medalist Kerron Stewart failed to make it through the semifinals.
But don’t expect much complaining on the island where the top industry behind tourism seems to be mining precious metals, er, medals of the Olympic variety.
On Sunday, Bolt and Blake will try to keep the gold coming for Jamaica, which has now won six of the last seven gold medals awarded in the men’s and women’s Olympic sprinting events, including relays.
