The 2016 Rio Olympics officially got underway on Friday and the world will be watching as athletes from across hundreds of nations converge to win the ultimate prize in amateur sports.

And while one may have heard of Neymar there are plenty of other athletes  who have carved out a great name in their respective fields but are relatively unknown.

And as the games progress, thestatesman.com will be highlighting some sure-shot medal prospects, who have not really got the spotlight they deserve.

Think sprinting, and one thinks of Usain Bolt. Narrow it down to Jamaica, and again Bolt&’s name comes to mind first. But there is a compatriot of his, who’s achievements are equally outstanding on the track.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is a pint-sized sprinter whose exploits led to the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to declare her as ‘possibly the greatest female sprinter in history.’

The 29-year-old Kingston native is aiming for a golden ‘three-peat’ at Rio, having won the 100m titles at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics.

She isn’t bad in the 200m as well, winning silver in London four years ago. And not to forget, she runs anchor for a formidable Jamaican 4×100 relay team who are strong contenders to win Gold in Rio.

Her nation acknowledges her great service, for she was the one leading the Jamaican contingent at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics on Friday!

Despite standing at just 5 five feet short, her quirky hair colours (Most recently yellow and green for Rio) make her presence in any crowd a distinct one.

A fierce competitor on the track, she is a good Samaritarian off it. She is Jamaica&’s first UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador and has started the Pocket Rocket Foundation to support high school athletes from low-income backgrounds.

A Nike sponsored athlete, Fraser-Pryce wears the Zoom Superfly Elite, a unique sprinting shoe which consists of 3D-printed spikes. And she has been sizzling each time she has stepped on to the track, with a personal best of 10.7 in the 100m!

She will be in action on August 12-14 for the 100m, August 15-18 for the 200m and August 19-20 for the 4x100m relay.

Fun Fact: She has converted her passion into a business, opening a range of hair salons called Chic Hair Ja in her native Jamaica.

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