Fastest woman alive Carmelita Jeter retires

Carmelita Jeter at the London 2012 Olympic games.

Carmelita Jeter, the second-fastest woman in history, has officially retired from competing in track and field.

Jeter, 37, is the fastest woman alive. Her 100m personal best, 10.64 seconds set in Shanghai in 2009, is second only to Florence Griffith-Joyner who passed away in 1998.

“I am going to miss when they say, ‘Carmelita Jeter, lane five,’ and everyone screams,” Jeter said at the USATF Black Tie and Sneakers Gala.

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At the 2012 Olympics, she took silver behind Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the 100m and bronze in the 200m behind Allyson Felix and Fraser-Pryce.

Jeter said her proudest accomplishment was not an individual race. She anchored the U.S. 4x100m relay, joining Tianna Bartoletta, Felix and Bianca Knight for gold in a world-record time of 40.82 seconds at the London Games.

“For four women who all run the same event to put their pride and ego aside,” Jeter said, “that is the most amazing thing I’ve done in my career.”

She is now a motivational speaker, speed coach and manager for Total Sports. She considered trying out for the U.S. bobsled team, but reaggravated her left quad injury.

“I want to coach the next world record,” she said. “I want to make someone else a better Carmelita Jeter.”