Maquette of Statue of Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce Unveiled

by Jamaica GlobalJune 23, 2018August 9, 201811936

It was a happy and proud moment for Olympic and World Champion Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce when the maquette of her statue was unveiled in a ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Saturday. A maquette is a small-scale representation of the actual statue which is already in the island. The finished statue measures 8ft from its base to the end of Shelly Ann’s clenched fist in victory and stands 7 ft from base to the subject’s thrown-back head. Culture, Sports and Gender Minister Olivia Grange told the audience that the statue would be installed in close proximity to the Usain Bolt statue in the National Stadium in October. Statues of Veronica Campbell Brown and Asafa Powell which have already been commissioned will be added to complete this component of the Jamaica 55 Legacy programme.

Sculptor Basil Watson who was also responsible for creating the Usain Bolt statue said he tried to capture the spirit, exuberance and determination for which Shelly Ann is known and challenged her to nourish those genes in her young son Zion who was in the audience with Shelly Ann’s husband and her mother.

Shelly Ann responded saying that she was in complete approval of how she was represented by the statue and expressed thanks to all who had contributed to her success. She added that although the statue was cast in her image, it represented all the people who had been with her throughout her triumphs and trails and whom she wanted to share in her success. She appealed to Jamaica to show patience and understanding and not to be too critical of her fellow athletes when they do not perform to expectations as not many knew of the pain personal sacrifices they often had to endure. She added that the statue was her legacy to upcoming athletes and hoped it would be a source of inspiration and a reminder to them that with hard work and patience, their time would also come.