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Fraser-Pryce says she was hell-bent on reclaiming 100m title

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IANS

Moscow, Aug 13 (IANS/CMC) Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has said she was well focused on the task of regaining her World 100 metres title lost two years ago in Daegu, South Korea.

Fraser-Pryce's victory on Monday night, at the 14th IAAF World Championships here, places her in a special class of her own.

She is now the first woman to hold both World and Olympic 100m titles simultaneously, twice between 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships, and last year's London Olympics and Moscow 2013.

Former American sprinter Gail Devers had done it once -- at the 1992 Olympics and 1993 World Championships.

 

Fraser-Pryce's victory came in 10.71, one hundredth of a second outside her Jamaican record. The time was achieved running into a -0.3m/s headwind. In Berlin, she also won in a negative wind.

Speaking without the statistics, Fraser-Pryce said she went into the final "100 percent focused on what I needed to do".

Leading into the Championships, Blessing Ohagbare of Nigeria, who beat Fraser-Pryce earlier this season, was expected to put up a strong fight.

But, according to Fraser-Pryce, she was only focused on herself. "I didn't let any distractions get in. I knew that I just needed to execute my race."

"As an athlete, you need to have a strong support system. It's crucial. I have a great coach, amazing people around me, I'm very thankful," she said.

Fraser-Pryce also made it clear that she still has a lot of years of active racing ahead of her.

"I am only 26, so I think there is still a lot ahead of me," she added.

--IANS/CMC

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First Published: Aug 13 2013 | 2:51 PM IST

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