Fraser-Pryce pulls out of 100M due to injury

SAINT-DENIS, France — Jamaica’s three-time Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the women’s 100-meters semifinals just minutes before its start due to an injury suffered in warmups, according to Ian Kelly, the head of the Jamaican team.

The letters “DNS” — “Did Not Start” — flashed on the scoreboard only moments before she was supposed to race Sha’Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred in the evening’s second semifinal.

“We only got the information that she is injured, but [a team doctor] is addressing the matter, and we will speak further on the matter,” team manager Ludlow Watts told the Jamaica Observer.

In a social media post early Sunday morning, she thanked her supporters but did not provide specifics about her injury.

“It is difficult for me to find the words to describe the depth of my disappointment,” she posted. “I know that my supporters share and shoulder this disappointment with me. I am truly Blessed to have had the steadfast support of my fans since my Olympic debut in 2008.

“With every step and win, you have all been there for me.”

Earlier in the day, videos posted to social media showed athletes — including Fraser-Pryce and Richardson — having trouble getting past security as they tried to reach the track. In one video, Fraser-Pryce was shown saying: “They’ve changed the rules. We came through this gate before but now they’re saying athletes who have left can’t use this gate.”

Kelly told Reuters that there had been a delay but that Fraser-Pryce’s absence was due to injury.

“Mrs. Fraser-Pryce was allowed to enter the warmup track but from another gate from which she was directed to enter from,” he said. “There is no truth that she was not allowed to enter the stadium. Unfortunately she was not able to compete due to an injury sustained during her final warmup.”

Richardson still participated in the semifinal and qualified for the final later Saturday, where she finished second behind Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred.

Fraser-Pryce, 37, first appeared at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, winning the 100 meters in 10.78 seconds.

The scratch for Fraser-Pryce came amid a somewhat dispiriting stretch for Jamaican sprint fans. In late June, five-time Olympic gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah announced she wouldn’t compete in the Olympics because of an Achilles injury. She was hurt earlier in the month when she went down at the end of a race at the New York Grand Prix. Then, a few days ago, fellow Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson decided to skip the 100 meters, placing her focus solely on the 200 meters and relays.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.