Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdraws from Botswana Golden Grand Prix

Multiple Olympic and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will not open her 2023 season at this year’s second World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Gaborone on 29 April as had earlier been planned.

This is after the Jamaican sprinting sensation had to withdraw from the Botswana Golden Grand Prix owing to a family emergency according to the press statement released by the race organizers on Friday afternoon.

“The Organizers of the inaugural FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix would like to announce the unfortunate news of Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce withdrawing from the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix due to a family emergency.

In her media release issued on the 20th of April 2023 (attached), Fraser-Pryce cited, "I was very excited to kick off my season in Botswana, and while it comes as a disappointment, I will unfortunately no longer be able to compete in the Golden Grand Prix due to a family emergency".

The organizers wish Ms Fraser-Pryce and her family well. Whilst we were looking forward to having Ms Fraser-Pryce kick off her season in Botswana, we are working on getting another athlete to fill up the gap in the Women's 100m race.

Final preparations for the event are going well and the organizers wish to assure the stakeholders, sponsors and the public that Botswana is ready to host the World Class Continental Tour Gold Event,” the statement read.

The men’s category still offers mouthwatering competition as Africa’s fastest man and reigning Commonwealth champions Ferdinand Omanyala will be in action against World Silver medalists Marvin Bracy and Kenny Bednarek.

Bednarek, who is also the Olympic 200m Silver medalist, will step down from his usual specialist distance. The versatile US sprinter is still an accomplished 100m performer, boasting a PB of 9.89.

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Canada’s world 4x100m champion Aaron Brown is also in the field. The multiple world and Olympic 100m and 200m finalist has a PB of 9.96 for the shorter distance.

Liberian record-holder Emmanuel Matadi and triple world U20 medalist Benji Richardson of South Africa are also in the line-up.

World Silver medalists Bracy, Bednarek to clash against Omanyala in Botswana Grand Prix