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 Ahead of the Stockholm Diamond League in late July, she said running
in the 200 meters as well as the 100 meters at the world
championships was still "possible", before ruling it out in early
August.
On Tuesday, however, she was listed in the Jamaican team for Beijing
as running in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m -- the three events in which
she won an unprecedented haul of gold medals at the 2013 world
championships in Moscow.
All, though, was apparently not as it seemed.
"No, I'm not contesting the 200m, I've said that a long time," the
28-year-old told Reuters by text from her training camp in Italy on
Wednesday.
Fraser-Pryce has only competed over the half-lap on one occasion
this season, logging 22.37 seconds at the Jamaica Invitational on
May 9 in Kingston.
In the 100 meters, though, she owns three of the five fastest times
this year, including the quickest with the 10.74 she ran in Paris in
early July.
Gold medals in the blue riband sprint at the Beijing and London
Olympics have already established her beyond doubt as one of the
greatest ever women sprinters but Fraser-Pryce still has goals.
Although she is giving up the chance to become the first woman to
win the world sprint double on two occasions, Fraser-Pryce can now
focus solely on her attempt to become the first woman to win three
100m titles at the world championships.
The now disgraced American Marion Jones won back-to-back titles in
1997 and 1999 and in Beijing Fraser-Pryce could better the tally she
matched with her gold medals in Berlin in 2009 and Moscow in 2013.
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The fourth fastest woman of all time courtesy of the 10.70 she ran
in Kingston in 2012, Fraser-Pryce has run below 10.80 seconds 10
times over her career.
She has yet to dip below the 10.70 second mark, however, and join
what is currently an exclusively American club comprising Florence
Griffiths-Joyner, whose world record of 10.49 has stood since 1988,
Carmelita Jeter (10.64) and Jones (10.65).
"Training has been going good so far," she added.
"As it relates to time I will need to just execute and see what
happens. My chances are good going into the championship. But the
work has to be done to reap those chances."
(Editing by Nick Mulvenney)
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