Despite failing to add to her wins in 2008 and 2012, Fraser-Pryce described the bronze as her “greatest medal ever” after an injury-interrupted 12 months.
“By far, I would definitely say that this is my best championship ever, because I knew how hard I worked, I knew the pain and and the sacrifices and the tears,” said the 29-year-old.
“I knew everything and despite everything I stuck to it. I kept my head in the game. I am really happy that I persevered.”
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Morry Gash/AP
Jamaica's Elaine Thompson, second from top, wins the 100-meter final on Saturday, August 13. Third-placed teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce fell short in her bid to win the event for a record third successive Olympics.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Clive Rose/Getty Images
US swimmer Michael Phelps competes in the 4x100-meters medley relay, where he earned his 23rd gold medal.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Dmitri Lovetsky/AP
Swimmers Michael Phelps, Cody Miller, Ryan Murphy and Nathan Adrian of the United States embrace after winning the 4x100-meters medley. Murphy led the team early on with his world record backstroke leg, and the team ended up solidifying gold with an Olympic record finish.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Al Bello/Getty Images
Simone Manuel, Kathleen Baker, Dana Vollmer and Lilly King of the US swim team pose with their gold medals after winning the 4x100-meters medley relay.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Mo Farah became the first British track athlete to win three Olympic gold medals as he retained his 10,000-meter title.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
American Jeff Henderson won gold in the men's long jump final with a distance of 8.38 meters.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Italian swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri won gold in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle final.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania, left, and Spain's Pau Gasol face off in a preliminary basketball match. Spain won 109-59.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Danish swimmer Pernille Blume won the women's 50-meter freestyle final.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Usain Bolt, center, Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago and James Dasaolu of Great Britain compete in the men's 100-meters.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Hussein Malla/AP
Field hockey player Aki Mitsuhashi of Japan, top, fights for the ball with Australia's goalkeeper Rachael Lynch during their preliminary match.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
Polish handball player Kamil Syprzak takes a freethrow against Swedish defenders during their preliminary match.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
From left to right, Yuliya Olishevska of Ukraine, Anneliese Rubie of Australia, Stephenie Ann McPherson of Jamaica and Patience Okon George of Nigeria compete in a 400-meter heat.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Julian Finney/Getty Images
Uladzislau Hancharou of Belarus performs on the trampoline. He earned gold in the individual competition.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Goh Chai Hin/AFP/Getty Images
Weightlifter Petit David Minkoumba of Cameroon competes in the the 94-kilogram (207-pound) event.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images
Puerto Rico's Monica Puig goes for the ball during her singles final tennis match against Germany's Angelique Kerber.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand, left, and Damir Martin of Croatia compete in the men's single sculls final. It was a photo finish -- both rowers clocked in with a time of 6 minutes 41.34 seconds -- but defending champion Drysdale was awarded the gold.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Valery Sharifulin/TASS/Getty Images
Russian boxer Evgeny Tishchenko won his heavyweight 91-kilogram (201-pound) semifinal bout against Uzbekistan's Rustam Tulaganov and will go for gold on Monday.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images
US field hockey player Kelsey Kolojejchick, right, vies for the ball with Great Britain's Crista Cullen.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
American fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad reacts during the women's saber team semifinal against Sofya Velikaya of Russia. The US went on to win bronze.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images
Germany's Jennifer Oeser competes in the heptathlon long jump.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Patriotic gloves are worn by Team USA as they prepare to compete in the women's track cycling team pursuit.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images
Gold medalist Christoph Harting, center, and bronze medalist Daniel Jasinski, right, both of Germany, stand on the podium with silver medalist Piotr Malachowski of Poland to celebrate their discus throw wins.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images
Britain's Andy Murray celebrates after beating Japan's Kei Nishikori during their singles semifinal tennis match.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images
New Zealand's Olivia Podmore, left, and Spain's Tania Calvo Barbero fall during the keirin first round track cycling event.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Athletes clear the water jump in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Getty Images
Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiya competes during the skeet shooting qualifications.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
BERND THISSEN/EPA
Etenesh Diro of Ethiopia loses her shoe during the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase heats.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
Team USA celebrates winning the gold with members of Romania's team, who won the bronze, in the women's eight rowing competition.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
A fan of Brazil wears a makeshift mask while waiting to watch the men's Group B basketball match between Argentina and Brazil.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
Fans watch the men's single sculls final rowing competition.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images
Germany's Daniel Jasinski competes in the discus final.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
LAURENT KALFALA/AFP/Getty Images
Argentina's players celebrate after winning their qualifying volleyball match against Cuba.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Mohammed Abukhousa of Palestine, center, and Holder da Silva of Guinea-Bissau compete in the men's 100-meter preliminary round. Abukhousa was later carried off the field after an injury.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images
Brazil's Nubia Soares lands in the women's triple jump qualifying round.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images
Ukraine's Olga Kharlan celebrates after her team won their sabre fencing quarterfinal bout against South Korea.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
ANTONIN THUILLIER/AFP/Getty Images
Poland's Adrian Dziolko serves to China's Chen Long during their singles qualifying badminton match.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images
France's Virginie Cueff reacts after falling in the keirin first round track cycling event.
Photos: Rio Olympics: Day 8
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Adrian Gavira Collado of Spain serves the ball during a round of 16 beach volleyball match.
On a night of high drama, Britain’s Mo Farah recovered from a trip midway through the 10,000m final to successfully defend one of the two titles he won at London 2012.
A coming together with former training partner Galen Rupp set Farah tumbling to the ground but he was able to get back on his feet and eventually overhaul Kenya’s Paul Kipngetich Tanui.
Farah insisted he didn’t blame Rupp for the incident, instead suggesting it was the result of his own long stride, while also revealing his daughter was the motivation behind his comeback.
“At one moment I was thinking my race is over, my dream is over,” said the Somalian-born 33-year-old. “I managed to dig deep. I promised my little daughter Rhianna a medal, my mind was on that. ‘You can’t let her down, you can’t let her down’.
“The twins from 2012, have got one (medal) each so I was like ‘Rihanna is missing one’, so I was like I can’t, I can’t let her down’. That is why I was quite emotional at the end.”
Farah’s compatriot Jessica Ennis-Hill failed to defend her Olympic title as Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam set five personal bests across the seven heptathlon disciplines on her way to gold.
Ennis-Hill needed to beat Thiem by 9.47 secs in the final event, the 800m, to finish top of the podium. But Thiem was able to dig deep and secure a breakthrough triumph.
“At first I did not want to think about a medal,” said the 21-year-old
“After the long jump I thought a podium finish is possible, but not the gold medal. After the javelin I thought, gold is possible. In the 1500m I gave everything I had and now it is gold.”
There was also a tense finish in the men’s long jump as American Jeff Thompson leaped to glory with a jump of 8.38 meters.
His teammate Jarrion Lawson thought he had done enough to snatch the gold with what looked like a big final-round jump.
But his celebrations were cut short after his hand brushed the sand as he landed in the pit, significantly shortening the distance recorded and meaning he finished outside of the medals.
“It was very close,” Henderson said of Lawson’s jump. “That was a long jump. Heard it was his hand or something – this happens in long jump, I’m sad it happened to him.”
Britain’s Greg Rutherford was distraught after losing his Olympic title, despite winning his country’s third track and field medal of the day with a bronze while South Africa’s Luvo Manyonga finished second.