Fraser sprints to aid of students

SHANGHAI, China – The lucrative IAAF Diamond League is not the only goal on Jamaican sprinter Shelly Ann Fraser’s mind these days.Away from the track, the reigning 100-metre World and Olympic champion has been devoting much of her time to her new role as the first UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador for Jamaica.Fraser, who had her first outing of the Diamond League at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix on Sunday, said she had found the role of helping to motivate underprivileged children extremely gratifying, especially considering the community where she grew up in Jamaica.“One of the reasons I think I was so excited  to be a part of the UNICEF scheme is that  in Jamaica I am from an area (Waterhouse) where a lot of violence and crime has been happening,” she said, referring to a volatile community in the Jamaican parish of St Andrew.“I have seen where a lot of girls or boys my age, they either didn’t get to finish high school, or they died or something bad of that sort.”Fraser rose to prominence at the Beijing Olympics two years ago when she streaked to an upset victory in the 100 metres.Last year, she reiterated her status as one of the world’s leading sprinters by repeating her victory at the World Championships in Berlin.The 23-year-old said her background had prepared her for the current role with UNICEF and though she grew up in trying circumstances, she had determined from an early age that she would succeed.“And now my work for UNICEF is focused  on talking to children about crime and violence,  which is important for me because I get to express myself and actually tell them things that I have  gone through and seen and to tell them not  to turn to violence but try to elevate themselves  to something different.”