PARIS — A noise rippled through Stade de France on Saturday evening when, before a semifinal of the women’s 100 meters at the Paris Olympics, the lane belonging to Jamaican sprinting star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was unexpectedly left empty.
Fraser-Pryce, long the standard-bearer for the event after winning Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, bronze in 2016 and silver in 2021, did not start the race, a dropout that was not revealed publicly until her competitors stepped up to their starting blocks.
No explanation was provided for her decision.
It marked the second stunning withdrawal of a Jamaican star of these Olympics, after Shericka Jackson also withdrew from the 100 days earlier. Jackson will run the 200-meters. Fraser-Pryce’s Games aren’t necessarily over, as she remains eligible to run the 4×100-meter relay.
With Jackson and Fraser-Pryce out, and decorated Great Britain sprinter Dina Asher-Smith failing to advance out of the semifinal round, it further opened the door for U.S. star Sha’Carri Richardson to capture gold in her Olympic debut and reassert her control over the event, after Richardson won the world championship last year.
Richardson safely advanced to Saturday night’s final, though was beaten in her semifinal by Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia.
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