SOPOT, Poland (Sporting Alert) — Jamaica and world sprint queen Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce blasted to a world-leading and personal best of 6.98 seconds to win the women’s World Indoor Championships 60m gold medal in Sopot, Poland on Sunday.
Fraser-Pryce, two-time Olympic Games 100m gold medallist, rocketed from the blocks and kept going on her way to breaking the 7.00 seconds barrier for the very first time in her first ever World Indoor Championships.
On her way to the gold medal, Fraser-Pryce defeated Murielle Ahoure from the Ivory Coast, who came in as the favourite and fastest in the world prior to the final.
Ahoure ran a seasonal best of 7.01secs, with American Tianna Bartoletta taking the bronze medal in 7.06secs, also in a season’s best.
Defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, running in her first competition since being cleared of any doping charges, finished fifth in 7.13secs.
Fraser-Pryce with the title on Sunday, also joins Campbell-Brown as the only women to win world titles in 60m, 100m and 200m.
Earlier Jamaica also grabbed a silver medal in the women’s 4x400m, as the team of Patricia Hall Anneisha McLaughlin, Kaliese Spencer and Stephenie Ann McPherson ran an Indoor National record and Commonwealth Games record of 3:26.54 to take second behind USA, who ran a world-leading 3:24.83, the second fastest at indoors.
