Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica earned her fourthwomen's world 100m title here tonight, ten years after her first, in 10.71,having got off to the kind of start that has earned her the nickname of PocketRocket down the years.
The 32-year-old double Olympic champion was ahead afterthree strides in a final that had been preceded by the same kind ofsound-and-light show that had ushered in the men's final on the previousevening.
And she never lost that position as she crossed in the fastest time run this year, just 0.01 off her seven-year-old personal best, equalling the mark she ran to win this title at Moscow in 2013. Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, starting in the lane next to Fraser-Pryce, never stopped trying to get on terms and was rewarded with silver as she broke her own national record with a time of 10.83. And with this performance, she reversed the result of the IAAF Diamond League final earlier this month when she had taken second place behind the Briton.
Bronze went to the Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou, the2017 silver medallist, who clocked 10.90, finishing one place ahead ofJamaica's Rio 2016 100 and 200m champion Elaine Thompson, who recorded 10.93.
Fraser-Pryce, her bright yellow wig now swapped for one of many colors, had celebrated what was her 12th world title in all by parading her son Zyon, to whom she gave birth in August 2017.
Asher-Smith commented: "A personal best and a national record that's more than you could ever ask for in a World Championship final. I'd have loved to win today, but Shelly-Ann ran a superb race, that's why she's the champion she is.
Fraser-Pryce has returned to the zenith of worldsprinting this year, having started the year marginally behind Thompson at thetop of the world listings after both recorded 10.73 at the Kingston meeting on21 June.
On day three of the IAAF World Athletics ChampionshipsDoha 2019, Fraser-Pryce had registered her intentions by being the fastestqualifier to the final, clocking 10.81 in winning the third and finalsemi-final.
