Fraser-Pryce Back on Top, Leads Jamaican Sweep in 100 Meters

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, of Jamaica, reacts after winning Gold in the final in the women's 100-meter run at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. (AP)
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, of Jamaica, reacts after winning Gold in the final in the women's 100-meter run at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. (AP)
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Fraser-Pryce Back on Top, Leads Jamaican Sweep in 100 Meters

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, of Jamaica, reacts after winning Gold in the final in the women's 100-meter run at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. (AP)
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, of Jamaica, reacts after winning Gold in the final in the women's 100-meter run at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Eugene, Ore. (AP)

That mile-wide smile would come a split-second later. When Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce saw her name come up first Sunday night in the 100-meter final, she pumped her right fist in the air twice and let out a loud scream toward the stands.

Yep, she did it. Again.

And shame on anyone who thought it was over for Jamaica's favorite 35-year-old mom - the country's most-celebrated 100-meter runner this side of Usain Bolt.

Fraser-Pryce sped her way back to the top of the sprint game, winning her fifth world title in the 100 - that's two more than Bolt amassed during his decade of dominance - by leading a Jamaican sweep and knocking off the favorite, two-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah.

"So many people believe that when women turn 35, it somehow diminishes our gift, our talent," Fraser-Pryce said. "But I'm still able to line up and compete, and that is very special."

Running out of Lane 6, Fraser-Pryce led all the way on a gorgeous, 74-degree night in Oregon and crossed the line in 10.67 seconds. She beat Shericka Jackson by 0.06 seconds while Thompson-Herah finished a surprising third in 10.81.

The smile came later. Lots of them, in fact.

With her blonde hair cinched into a braid up top, and with green-tinted locks flowing in the breeze, Fraser-Pryce offered smiles and took selfies with the fans as she jogged through her victory lap.

It was a different scene than last year in Tokyo, when she seemed puzzled and frustrated at how she could've finished second to Thompson-Herah at the Olympics by such a sizable margin - 0.13.

"I went back home and I worked and I worked and I came out here, and I had the success," the beaming sprinter said in her on-track interview.

The night began with the thought that Thompson-Herah might knock off Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 34-year-old world record of 10.49. Less than a year ago, Thompson-Herah ran 10.54 on this very same track in the Prefontaine Classic to join Flo Jo as the only other woman to go lower than 10.6.

Fraser-Pryce has run exactly 10.6 before, though, and instead of Flo Jo's record going down, it was one held by Marion Jones - her 23-year-old world championship mark of 10.70 - that went by the wayside.

Fraser-Pryce adds this to world titles she won in the 100 in 2009, ’13, ‘15 and ’19. She also won the Olympics in 2008 and 2012.

It was no huge surprise that the aftermath in the corridors of the stadium felt like a party.

Dozens of ticketholders wearing "Shelly-Ann" T-shirts - complete with a picture of her, back in the day, when she still wore braces - were making their way to the exits, a few of them high-fiving.

One of them, a former elite sprinter in Jamaica, Errol Byles, told of meeting Fraser-Pryce on an airplane. They exchanged numbers, and stayed in touch. Before worlds, he asked her to send some shirts, and they wore them with pride walking out.

Byles reminisced about the vibe in Jamaica when the 21-year-old then known as Shelly-Ann Fraser qualified for her first Olympics, back in 2008. She was too young, the skeptics said, and had no business taking the spot that could've gone to the reigning world champion at the time, Veronica Campbell-Brown.

Fraser did take that spot, then led a Jamaican sweep in the 100. It felt like a bit of an undercard to Bolt's hot-dogging, world-record-setting victory the night before. Still, a star was born.

"She has the heart of a champion and she's determined to prove everybody wrong," Byles said. "Now that she's older and she's a mom, there are some that think she's not as good as the others. But she's determined to prove otherwise, and she's doing that."

And so, a night after the US swept the podium in the men’s 100, Fraser-Pryce and Co., showed there remains plenty of speed down on the island.

Thompson-Herah, who paced slowly, several steps behind Fraser-Pryce and Jackson, during the start of the victory lap, expressed mixed emotions.

"It means a lot to us. We have been working hard," she said. "One-two-three at the Olympics, and one-two-three at championships. Even though I wanted to win, it didn’t work out. But I’m still keeping the journey going."

So too, it turns out, is Fraser-Pryce.

Her latest victory marks the defense of the title she won in 2019, a win that came two years after she missed the worlds in London while having her baby, her now 4-year-old son, Zyon. She called that "a victory for motherhood."

On that night, she also told the story of sitting on her bed and crying the day she learned she was pregnant. People suggested her career was over.

Not by a long shot.

"It's very special to be able to still be here," Fraser-Pryce said. "Just to show other women that you can start from anywhere and you can still experience success, not only in your 20s, but in your 30s, and it’s still going to be meaningful."

The Jamaican sweep offered a brief change of plot from what’s turning into The America Show in the first worlds to be contested in the United States. The US won nine medals Sunday, marking what meet organizers said was the best single day for any country in the history of worlds. The old record was eight medals won by the Soviet Union in 1991.

Minutes before the women’s 100, Grant Holloway and Trey Cunningham finished 1-2 in the 110 hurdles. The race might have been a sweep were it not for a false start by Oregon receiver-hurdler Devon Allen, who came into the meet ranked second in the world. The red card was met with lusty boos from the crowd. Allen took his time leaving the track, clearly not happy with the call.

Around that time, Ryan Crouser was putting the final touches on America’s 1-2-3 finish in the shot put. It was Crouser’s second straight world title to go with the win at last year’s Olympics. His rival, Joe Kovacs, finished second and teammate Josh Awotunde was third.

"We're proud of it. We always say we're the best shot-put country in the world, and today we proved it," Kovacs said.

Also wrapping up at that time was the 1-2 finish by American pole vaulters Katie Nageotte, who adds this to her title in Tokyo last year, and Sandi Morris, who now has three silver medals from worlds.

Earlier in the day, Americans Brooke Andersen and Janee’ Kassanavoid won gold and bronze in the hammer throw. By the end of Day 3, the US had 14 medals - 11 more than Jamaica and three other countries tied for second; and six golds, which was triple the total for second-place Ethiopia.

One of Ethiopia's golds came from Tamirat Tola in Sunday morning’s marathon. In the men’s 10,000, world-record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Kenya defended his world title in 27:27.43. The day's other champion was Mykolas Alekena of Lithuania in the discus throw.



Djokovic’s Knee Is Pain-Free at Wimbledon but His Movement Is Not Quite Where He Wants It

 Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Britain's Jacob Feamley during their men's singles tennis match on the fourth day of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Britain's Jacob Feamley during their men's singles tennis match on the fourth day of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Djokovic’s Knee Is Pain-Free at Wimbledon but His Movement Is Not Quite Where He Wants It

 Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Britain's Jacob Feamley during their men's singles tennis match on the fourth day of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2024. (AFP)
Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Britain's Jacob Feamley during their men's singles tennis match on the fourth day of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2024. (AFP)

The good news, Novak Djokovic said, was that his surgically repaired right knee was pain-free at Wimbledon on Thursday.

The bad news, he knows, is that his movement, such a big part of his success, was not yet back to normal during a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 victory in the second round over Jacob Fearnley, a 22-year-old from Scotland who played college tennis in the United States — and that'll need to improve if Djokovic is going to contend for the title, the only reason he is back competing so soon after tearing his meniscus.

"The more matches I have, the better the chance I’ll have to feel more comfortable moving around and gain that speed, agility, change of direction — that freedom that I’m looking for, really. I had it in certain moments today, certain moments in the first match, but then it’s still not there," said Djokovic, who has won seven of his 24 Grand Slam trophies at the All England Club. "In a way, it’s expected and normal when you come back from surgery. The body’s trying to understand what’s going on."

When Fearnley, a wild-card entry ranked just 277th and participating in his first major tournament, grabbed the third set, a roar arose at Centre Court.

"I noticed they were probably more towards me in the crowd," Fearnley said. "That was pretty obvious."

Similar sounds came when he went ahead 5-4 in the fourth, particularly from a cheering section that included four teammates from his days at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas.

"It was really emotional," said Tomas Jirousek, who played with Fearnley on the Horned Frogs tennis team and was wearing a school sweatshirt.

Might this really turn into a tight contest? Might Djokovic, who hasn't reached a final of any tournament this season, really be forced to a fifth set? Of course not. Djokovic is too savvy, too superb at the biggest moments, and grabbed 12 of the last 17 points to reel off the final three games.

Still, the 37-year-old from Serbia, who has been wearing a gray sleeve on his knee, plans to watch some video of this match, the way he usually does, to get a sense of where he can get better for his next match, which will be against Alexei Popyrin on Saturday for a spot in the fourth round.

"I do watch specific moments where I thought I’ve done well or moments where I haven’t done so well, and just try to analyze that myself. Then, of course, with my team members," Djokovic said. "Draw some conclusions, take it to the practice court and work on it."

Fearnley, meanwhile, smiled while discussing the way his follower count on Instagram doubled to about 5,000. But he also vowed that whatever surge in popularity this performance on a much grander stage than he's used to, and against a much greater opponent than he's used to, is not "going to really affect me."

It was a big day for the locals, all-in-all, with several attention-grabbing matchups involving British players at the All England Club and national election going on around the UK.

"A great day for British tennis," Fearnley said, "and there’s no better place to do it than at home, at Wimbledon."

That included Andy Murray, a two-time singles champion at Wimbledon, teaming with his brother, Jamie, during a loss in men's doubles that began a farewell tour of sorts.

Murray, 37, has said he plans to head into retirement after playing at the All England Club — in men's and mixed doubles, but not singles, on account of recent back surgery — and the Paris Olympics.

In one all-British matchup won by the unseeded player, Harriet Dart came back to eliminate No. 32 Katie Boulter 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8). In another, Cam Norrie defeated No. 28 Jack Draper 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (6).

"He sort of knew all my patterns of play. I felt like his backhand was incredible today. Just wasn’t allowing me to do the things that I wanted to do," said Draper, who recently overtook Norrie as their country's highest-ranked man. "I felt like I wasn’t able to be brave enough."

No. 5 Jessica Pegula became the highest-seeded woman to lose so far, dismissed by Wang Xinyu 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-1, and No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz exited the men's bracket when he needed to stop playing after injuring his right knee while diving to hit a shot late in the fourth set against Arthur Fils. Play was delayed for several minutes while a trainer examined then taped up Hurkacz's knee; when action resumed, Hurkacz immediately tried to dive for another volley, then couldn't continue.

Seeded winners included No. 1 Iga Swiatek — whose current unbeaten streak reached 21 — No. 4 Elena Rybakina, No. 10 Ons Jabeur, No. 11 Danielle Collins, No. 13 Jelena Ostapenko, No. 9 Alex de Minaur, No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov, No. 13 Taylor Fritz and No. 14 Ben Shelton, who won his second consecutive five-setter.