Shaniqua Bascombe won the women’s 200m silver at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games; Personal best 22.35, aiming for 21s.
Meet Shaniqua Bascombe, the Commonwealth Games medallist whose look is inspired by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Meet Shaniqua Bascombe, the Commonwealth Games medallist whose look is inspired by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
The Trinidadian sprinter tells Olympics.com about modelling her style on Jamaican icon Fraser-Pryce and how winning 200m silver at Glasgow 2026 has motivated her for the future.
While one Caribbean sprint style icon has retired, another one might just have been unearthed.
Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce hung up her spikes last year after a career which will not just be remembered for her bulging medal collection, but her colourful hairstyles.
Now, an equally flamboyant athletics star from Trinidad and Tobago has burst on to the scene – Shaniqua Bascombe .
Making her major senior international debut, the 22-year-old claimed a silver medal in the women’s 200m at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Friday (31 July).
And with red bows and blonde streaks in her hair, the sight of Bascombe storming to line brought back memories of Olympic great Fraser-Pryce, who it transpires is her hero and inspiration.
“I am the type of athlete that likes to look nice,” the bespectacled Bascombe, who also wore white bows, a leopard-print headband and red sleeves when she raced in the semi-finals, told Olympics.com .
“That’s my personality. I like to express however I’m feeling at that point in time in my hairstyle, my bows.
“The one athlete I would definitely say inspired me the most was Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, with the different colour hair and the style.
“That is one athlete that definitely made me feel like, ‘OK, since you can do it, I can do it’.”
Shaniqua Bascombe sported a different look in her 200m semi-final at Glasgow 2026
Shaniqua Bascombe on racing against her hero Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Bascombe, who trains in Jamaica, had the honour of racing against Fraser-Pryce over 100m in April 2025, at the Velocity Fest in Kingston.
“I have spoken to her once, and that was my first time competing in Jamaica since I moved,” said Bascombe, who finished third in that race which Fraser-Pryce won.
“She shook my hand and told me, ‘Well done’, and she hoped to see me in the future.
“I was surprised. It was a different feeling knowing that I competed against her for the first time, although I was extremely nervous going into the race against her.
“I knew I was going to get it, no doubt about that, but it was a proud moment knowing that I raced against one of the top athletes in Jamaica.
“ I’m vexed that she is retired. I’m so sad. I would definitely want to compete against her in the future, but all good things must come to an end .”
Fraser-Pryce retired at the age of 38 following the 2025 World Athletics Championships, where she made the 25th global podium of her illustrious career.
After becoming a mother in 2017, she became the oldest woman to claim a 100m world title in 2019, then extended that record by three years aged 35 in 2022.
“ She’s given young female athletes more motivation, proving that age doesn’t matter, age is just a number ,” admitted Bascombe.
“You can be however old, it just depends on how your body reacts to the sport and how strong and how mentally prepared you are to compete.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce: “There’s nothing wrong with being strong.”
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has been defying doubters most of her career. “I’m from an inner city in Kington, where most people don’t make it, but I made it,” she tells us. “I just want to be remembered as being fearless, and resilient, and being dominant.”
Shaniqua Bascombe motivated for the future
While Fraser-Pryce has finished, Bascombe is just getting started.
After missing Paris 2024 through injury, and suffering other setbacks this season, she set a new 200m personal best of 22.31 seconds in the semi-finals at Glasgow 2026.
Then, in the final, she clocked 22.35 to claim a landmark Commonwealth silver medal, finishing behind only Adaejah Hodge , the world’s second-fastest woman this year.
“It is definitely a proud, emotional feeling,” added Bascombe. “I’m still in disbelief that I have a Commonwealth medal in the 200m and I made a personal best.
“For the next two years, it gives me a lot of motivation knowing that I am competing on a much more senior level and competing against one of the top athletes.
“ I’m very close to running 21 seconds. I’m very close to being a top-class athlete and on a different level.
“It’s making me feel very motivated and very confident in myself now that I see I have the potential to run 21.
“We’ll definitely be working on getting the gold medal next time. No ifs about that.”
By David Coverdale Grace Goulding
ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect
23 July - 2 August
Commonwealth Games 2026 | Glasgow | United Kingdom