The world’s fastest lady makes her debut at Bislett

The world’s fastest woman, Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, will make her debut at Bislett during Oslo Bislett Games on 1 July. With the world’s best time this year, 10.63 from Kingston on June 5, Merlene Ottey’s track record of 10.88 from 1991 could soon be history.

For a full 88 weeks, Fraser-Pryce has been at the top of the World Athletics World Rankings in the 100 meters. Maybe not so strange when you look at her merit list. The 34-year-old has won what can be won in her career but is of course still hungry for a new Olympic triumph in Tokyo.

If it happens, it will be her third in the 100-meter, after winning the distance in both 2008 and 2012. In Rio five years ago, she finished third. Shelly-Ann also has four World Cup golds at the distance: from 2009, 2013, 2015 and most recently in Doha in 2019. Throughout the long history of athletics, only Florence Griffith-Joyner has run faster (three times) than 10.63, and Shelly-Ann stands with five of the world’s twenty best times at the distance.

If she wins at Bislett, as she did in Doha on May 28, it will also be her twentieth 100-meter victory in the Diamond League.

This Thursday night on The World Record Track, she meets, among others, Marie-Josee Ta Lou from the Ivory Coast, who has a personal record of 10.85, and is number three in the world rankings, Jamaican Natasha Morrison with seasonal best and personal record of 10.87 and American Javianne Oliver with ditto 10.96.