"Never in my entire Olympic journey have I attended any other sport": Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on supporting Michaela Blyde following viral meeting

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Sep 26, 2024 18:43 GMT

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce recently elaborated on her gesture of showing support to New Zealand rugby sevens player Michaela Blyde from the stadium during the 2024 Paris Olympics. This comes just a month after Fraser-Pryce and Blyde's meeting on the streets of the French capital went viral.

Following this meetup on the streets of Paris, Fraser-Pryce sneaked into the stadium to watch Blyde live and support her as she stepped onto the field for the rugby defending champions, New Zealand. It was a sweet gesture from the track and field athlete for someone who considers her an idol.

Speaking of her gesture in a recent conversation, Fraser-Pryce revealed that she has not experienced any other sport live from the stands in a quadrennial event before Blyde's rugby match in Paris.

During the conversation, the Jamaican track and field athlete also mentioned about the reaction of Blyde and thanked the almighty for gracing her with the prowess to make her homeland proud. She said (via Sportsmax):

"Never in my entire Olympic journey have I attended any other sport. It was my first time going to another sport, and just watching the reaction from the athlete made me proud. I’m truly humbled and grateful to God for the platform He has given me and how much I’ve been able to carry, not just myself but also the national flag.”

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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ended her 2024 Paris Olympics campaign without a medal

Fraser-Pryce during the Women's 100m event of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (Image via Getty)

Competing in the fifth Olympic games of her career, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce failed to clinch a single medal for Jamaica at the French capital. The 37-year-old was competing in the Women's 100m event of the quadrennial event and started off the proceedings impressively as she advanced to the semifinal stages of the tournament.

However, the former 100m champion had to withdraw due to an injury that she suffered before the event. Owing to the injury, the Jamaican track and field athlete was also absent from the Women's 4x100m relay team which eventually failed to clinch a medal in the event.

This was the first time in Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce's decorated career that the Kingston native returned empty-handed from an Olympics.

She made her Olympic debut in Beijing 16 years ago when she clinched a gold medal in the Women's 100m event and continued the same momentum in London clinching three laurels for her homeland. In Rio and Tokyo, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce bagged two medals each before a medal-less outing in Paris.