It's Jamaican women and children who are my inspiration.

The words of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce — “It’s Jamaican women and children who are my inspiration” — are not a boast of victory, but a hymn of gratitude. For in her declaration, we hear the truth that greatness does not rise in isolation, but is born from the soil of one’s people. She names women and children, the bearers of life and the promise of tomorrow, as the fire that drives her steps upon the track. It is a reminder that the might of a champion is not forged only in muscle and speed, but in love, duty, and belonging.

To speak of inspiration in this way is to recognize the hidden pillars of strength. Behind every race Shelly-Ann has run stands the memory of mothers carrying burdens with unyielding grace, of children laughing despite hardship, of families who endure. The struggles of these lives — often unseen by the world — are transmuted into power when she sprints, her feet striking the ground as if echoing the heartbeat of a nation. In them, she finds reason to run not for medals alone, but for dignity, for pride, and for hope.

History offers many such examples where a leader or champion drew strength from the humble and the ordinary. Recall Mahatma Gandhi, who said that his resolve came not from his own will, but from the sight of the poor villagers of India. Their suffering gave him courage to stand unarmed against empires. Just so, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce draws from the well of her people — their laughter, their struggle, their faith — and transforms it into lightning on the world stage.

The ancients taught that the glory of the individual is meaningless unless it serves the many. When Shelly-Ann runs, she carries Jamaican women and children with her, showing them what is possible, showing them that the soil of hardship can still yield flowers of triumph. Her victories become theirs, her medals a mirror in which they see their own worth reflected. This is the true measure of greatness: not what one takes, but what one gives back.

Therefore, O children of tomorrow, remember this: seek your inspiration not only in your own ambition, but in the quiet strength of those around you. Honor the mothers who endure, the children who dream, the people whose lives shape yours in unseen ways. For when your strength falters, it is their spirit that will lift you, just as it carried Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, turning her into a legend who runs not for herself, but for her people.