Michael “Mike” Fray was one of the outstanding Jamaican sprinters of the 1960s and early 1970s, a period when the island was beginning to build its formidable reputation in world athletics. Born in Kingston on September 3rd, 1947, Fray rose from schoolboy promise at St. Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) to become a two-time Olympian, a world record holder, and a trailblazer for future generations of sprinters.
Early Talent and International Breakthrough
Fray’s ability was evident from his teenage years, when he excelled on the track at STATHS. His sprinting earned him a scholarship to the United States, where in 1967 he set the U.S. National Junior College 200 metres record while competing for Odessa Junior College in Texas. A year later, Track & Field News ranked him among the top ten sprinters in the world in that event, recognition that confirmed his status as one of Jamaica’s brightest prospects.
Olympic Stage and Relay Glory
Fray’s greatest achievements came at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, where he was part of a Jamaican 4×100 metres relay team alongside Lennox Miller, Clifton Forbes, and Errol Stewart. In the heats, the quartet equalled the world record, before lowering it in the semi-final to an astonishing 38.3 seconds. Though Jamaica finished just outside the medals in the final, the semi-final run remains unmatched as the fastest ever recorded by an under-23 team. Fray also contested the individual 200 metres, reaching the Olympic final and finishing seventh in a field remembered for Tommie Smith’s iconic victory salute.
At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Fray once again showed his class by reaching the 100 metres final, placing fifth. His consistency across two Games made him only the second Jamaican, after Herb McKenley, to appear in Olympic finals in both the 100 and 200 metres.
Beyond the Olympics
Fray represented Jamaica with distinction in regional competitions, securing a silver medal in the relay at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, gold at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, and bronze in the 100 metres at the 1970 Games. He also won a relay bronze at the 1967 Pan American Games. These performances underscored his reliability as both an individual sprinter and a key member of Jamaica’s relay squads.
Though Jamaica would later become synonymous with sprinting dominance through names like Don Quarrie, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Michael Fray’s story is a reminder of the pioneers who first carried the baton. His speed, his spirit, and the lives he touched remain an enduring part of the island’s athletic legacy.
Legacy and Passing
Despite his achievements, Fray belonged to a generation of athletes who competed without the professional support and opportunities available to sprinters today. Yet his performances helped lay the foundation for Jamaica’s dominance in later decades, and his record-breaking relay run in Mexico City remains a defining moment in the island’s track and field story.
His passing in November 2019, at the age of 72, was met with deep sadness across the sporting community. At his thanksgiving service in Kingston, he was remembered as “real, supportive, kind, highly talented and committed” — qualities that shaped his life far beyond the track. His brother, broadcaster Robert “Bobby” Fray, delivered a moving tribute, recalling a man who combined athletic brilliance with devotion to family. His children, Kareena and Jair, also spoke with heartfelt pride, adding a personal note of love and loss to the celebration of his life.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange hailed Fray’s exceptional contribution, describing him as “one of those sprinters who performed exceptionally well for Jamaica in the nineteen sixties.”
Fray’s blistering second-leg run in the 1968 Olympic 4×100 m relay — part of the quartet that set a world record of 38.3 seconds — is still celebrated as one of the nation’s finest achievements on the international stage, and a lasting reminder of his place among Jamaica’s sprinting pioneers..
