Lessons through motherhood: Fraser-Pryce shares how she once scolded her son for saying he 'wasn't good enough'

Having had a legendary career that spanned 18 years, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce possesses a wealth of wisdom and experience on what it takes to succeed in life. She is now instilling these values in her son, Zyon.

The Jamaican track queen retired after the Tokyo 2025 World Championships and has always made known how the birth of her son in 2017 played a vital role in reshaping her career. Now, she's grooming him to be the best version of whatever he chooses to accomplish in life.

In a recent exclusive interview with sportsstar.thehindu.com, Fraser-Pryce discussed how retirement has allowed her to dedicate more time to mentoring and instilling these values in her son for future usage.

When asked what she would like him to know when he gets older, the five-time world 100m champion said:

"I think what’s going to be really important for him is to trust his instinct. If you really have faith and if you have the right support, anything is possible. That’s really what my career has been. It’s really pairing faith with talent and making those things work," she explained.

"Sometimes, I think people have the talent, but they lack faith. Or they might lack support. It’s important to have the right support, team, and people in your corner. If you have that, you work hard, remain consistent, driven, and focused, then if my career is an example, you will have a lot of wins. You will have losses as well, but it’s what you do with those losses that matters as well," she added.

"I think he should know from me that it’s possible to defy what people think is possible. It’s about making sure that no one should put a limit on your dreams or aspirations."

Fraser-Pryce concluded by saying he would always have her support no matter the outcome of his activities.

"I think what he’ll always have is my support, whether he wins or loses. That’s something I tell him everyday when he goes to football training, or if he’s writing an exam at school or if he’s participating in chess. I tell him I’m proud of him regardless of what happens in that test or on the field. It’s important to say these things."

While some of these lessons are delivered with motherly love, at other times, she has to scold him, especially when he declared himself 'not good enough' during a football game.

She revealed how he made her angry and had to do some strict talking.

"He was on the pitch, and he kept complaining that the boys weren’t passing him the ball. I was thinking there’s one ball and 11 of you. How do you expect to get the ball all the time? I said, ‘Sorry, they’re passing the ball to the others. You have to go and tackle if you want the ball.’

"To that, he said he was always tackling, but no one was giving him the ball. I told him to calm down and take his time, but he started saying that he wasn’t getting it right and that maybe he wasn’t that good. That’s when I got angry. I told him, ‘Listen. I don’t want to hear that’.

With 26 medals at global championships, the 39-year-old is arguably the most accomplished female athlete in history. She's enjoying her life now focusing on her business, foundation, and being a mom, which entails giving her son '100 per cent that she has given to track.'