SAFP -Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce- FINALLY talks about why she pulled out of the Olympic 100 semi - “I was probably having a panic attack"

Very strange. You mean someone in a position to potentially win a gold medal was not told the right gate, and has no coach or teammates or agent with them to help them out?

There is something that she is leaving out of her story. People in her position rarely just wonder off by themselves at the Olympics the day of a race. Sounds like she had a fight with someone and went off all by herself.

Mr. The Story Does NOT Need To Add Up, you know how many times the "show" is made to go on despite some crazy workings backstage? These guys are professionals and many times they pull it off, but in some instances it's just not meant to be. I wonder if you are too young to remember that one time when Liu Xiang was pretty much forced to show up to the heats at Beijing Stadium with half his achilles hanging off, and only after he quit first steps out the blocks they played the call room cams showing him kicking the wall in desperation.

Sometimes, it really is about the performer being unable to ride it out.

I am still not aware of the details on what happened to her... This didn't illuminate the situation at all. I still can't comprehend why walking to the alternate entrance makes any difference in your performance. How big is your ego that you can't admit that you were rolled???

It's called self-handicapping. A person consciously (or subconsciously) puts themselves in a situation that compromises their ability to succeed at an upcoming challenge. Like a college student partying the night before an exam.

Aka self-sabotage. She was clearly not in a good head space, and said she was panicked.

But how do we know it wasn't due to a silent doping ban?

She knew she was going to get blown out again, so she backed out and would not allow that visual. As a sports bettor I've seen this type of thing so many times it's ridiculous when they try to pretend otherwise.

Fraser-Pryce still gets the nod whenever greatest female sprinter of all time is debated. I don't agree with it but it's the overwhelming tendency, including in a Reddit thread yesterday. She realizes how fragile that situation can be. Getting wiped out again in an Olympic semifinal or final would have been another stain, like losing by .13 and .15 to Elaine in the two prior Olympic finals.

Reading the article, she has the mentality you sometimes see in athletes where there's a complex mental framework around success, often with a degree of mysticism or providence.

e.g.

When it's all going well it's potent.

When it's not, things can go very wrong, very quickly.

I don't understand this at all.

SAFP is THE MOST EXPERIENCED Olympic/Worlds finalist who is active in the sport today. She has raced with distinction in countless Olympic and World heats and finals not to mention 20 years of the Jamaican trials which are mega cutthroat in the W100/200.

There is literally nobody else who has delivered at this level in so many occasions.

So I don't buy this random self-doubt maybe Marie-Ckaire.fluffs it up for their readership

Perhaps she was disrupted by Mondo's 10.37 after challenging him to a duel thinking she could match him....

Yes, and I think for female athletes, alignment has extra significance as it pertains to their monthly biological cycle. That's what I thought about when I read this:

Things are off, she can feel it. During her final two reps on the track, she can sense her body “shutting down,” as painful muscle cramps wreak havoc in her legs, only rivaling the uneasy feeling in her gut.

Reminded me of the cramp that Dina Asher-Smith had.

espn.com

Asher-Smith wants more research on periods

Dina Asher-Smith has called for more funding for studies on how a woman's period can affect athletic performance after the British sprinter pulled up with cramp during her 100 metres title defence at the European Championship...

Open link

“Marie Claire”

PR, and nothing else. Rubbish.

Sounds more like another WADA plea deal like when Bolt "false started" at worlds in the final --they got the viewership and ratings with him lined up first and foremost. Not like SAFP is a ratings cow like Bolt was anyways but the warning has to be issued sometimes. Shacarri deal to miss the Olympics for "marijuana" too was a stern WADA warning/plea deal that also got WADA cash. You think they actually would have banned her plympics for the Mary J? No way in BS hell, baby.

Her skin has such a healthy shine to it.

She caught Simone Biles' twisties.

I thought so too, she cleans up well

This plus the post below yours regarding self sabotage is kind of where I think I land.

There are obviously distinct parts or moments to this whole debacle and I think that the end result that played out was this moment of sabotage (that we even saw part of) - in her mind it was easier to make herself a victim of some wild injustice than just get on with it and compete. The reasons how she got to this head space are the mystery because as you pointed out, the real life pragmatic solution to this was not a big deal at all. To stand around arguing a point when the solution, no matter how frustrating at the time, just makes no sense if you really want to run. I mean the same thing happened to Sha'Carri and she managed to navigate it.

I know the easy rebuttal is "she's so professional that any little disruption can make a big impact and have big consequences" - sorry I don't buy that. If anything her experience of having done this so many times before should have helped her out. Okay, so she likes 3 hours prep in the warmup area (that is an insanely long period of time btw) - I'm sure being the pro she is that she could have adjusted to 2 hours and 45 minutes after the slight disruption and been just fine.

I think she didn't want to run and while not consciously looking for a way to opt was fine to make a mountain out of a molehill subconsciously to satisfy that. As you said I think that's predominantly ego (I know I'm not going to win, but I'm not going to technically lose either), part other sports psychology oddities.

Eggshell personality or glowing.

Hard to tell which, or which is most offensive.

Silent ban.

Yes, reminds me of Marie Jose Perec pulling out of Sydney due to a "stalker".