•The Jamaican sensation holds a personal best time of 10.60 seconds, trailing American Florence Griffith-Joyner “Flo-Jo” (10.49) and compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.54) on the all-time list.
•The three-time Olympic sprints champion and holder of 10 world titles is regarded by many as the best female sprinter of all time.
Image: FILE
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the third-fastest female sprinter of all time, says she is delighted to once again compete in Nairobi at this year’s Absa Kip Keino Classic on May 13.
The Jamaican sensation holds a personal best time of 10.60 seconds, trailing American Florence Griffith-Joyner “Flo-Jo” (10.49) and compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.54) on the all-time list.
The three-time Olympic sprint champion and holder of 10 world titles is regarded by many as the best female sprinter of all time.
Fraser-Pryce started her 2022 season at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, with a season’s fastest 10.67 seconds and will be launching her 2023 season proper this year on April 29 at the Gaborone Continental Tour meet in Botswana.
In a video message released on Wednesday, Fraser-Pryce has asked her Kenyan fans to secure tickets for the May 13 Absa Kip Keino Classic as she will be seeking to show the form that she displayed last year.
“I will be in Nairobi on May 13 for the Kip Keino Classic and I’ll be racing over the 100 metres,” the 36-year-old star said.
“Last year was awesome! Fantastic!... The stadium was filled with so much excitement and noise and crowds and music, and it was so much fun.
“Make sure you guys get your tickets because I wanna see you in Nairobi on May 13, and we’re gonna have some fun, and of course we’re gonna have some fast times and rock that stadium like we did last year!”
Absa Kip Keino Classic Meet Director Barnabas Korir said the Jamaican’s confirmation shows the trust and love that global athletes have for Kenya.
“We shall in the coming weeks issue an elaborate programme and announce some of the top athletes who will be gracing this year’s event. We have big surprises for the country,” said Korir.
The Absa Kip Keino Classic is the third round of the 2023 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series of global one-day track and field meetings. It is named after pioneer Kenyan Olympic champion Kipchoge Keino and is held at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Meanwhile, Croatia’s two-time Olympic and world gold medallist Sandra Perkovic will go head-to-head with USA’s Olympic champion Valarie Allman when the discus stars clash at the Bislett Games, the fifth meeting in this year’s Wanda Diamond League series, in Oslo on June 15.
Perkovic claimed six consecutive Diamond League titles between 2012 and 2017, while Allman is a two-time winner thanks to her victories in 2021 and 2022. Allman only lost at one Diamond League meeting in 2022 and that defeat came at the Bislett Games, to Perkovic. Perkovic also secured silver at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, while Allman claimed bronze a year after her Olympic victory in Tokyo.
Now they will compete again, as they both target further Diamond League success in a season that features the final in Eugene and a World Championships in Budapest. Allman has already demonstrated her strength this season, throwing 67.90m at the start of this month and then 70.25m for the third-best mark of her career one week later.
In a competitive field for the Oslo meeting, Allman and Perkovic are set to be joined by Olympic silver medallist Kristin Pudenz, world fourth-place finisher Jorinde van Klinken, European bronze medallist Claudine Vita and Olympic fifth-place finisher Liliana Ca.