Olympic 100m champion Fraser's fear of flying

Tue 30/09/2008 16:33

The Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser admitted to spikesmag.com she is such a nervous flyer she needs sleeping pills to cope with the stress.

The diminutive Fraser, who knocked half a second from her 100m personal best this season and blitzed to the gold medal in Beijing in a sensational PB of 10.78, said despite travelling across the globe this season getting on a plane is still a traumatic experience.

"I still don't like flying," the 21-year-old told spikesmag.com.

"I take some sleeping pills, although I often don't sleep for long."

Fraser, who has competed across four continents this year – North and South America, Europe and Asia – has not let her dislike for flying disrupt her outstanding form and she racked up wins in not only Beijing but also Stuttgart, Rieti and Rio de Janiero.

But the Jamaican athlete, who is studying the second year of her degree in childcare and development, admitted: "I have flown once on my own to Miami and I always try and make sure I travel with someone."

Read our feature on Shelly-Ann Fraser coming soon to spikesmag.com.