Julien Alfred won Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal in stunning fashion on Saturday with an upset win over Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100m final in Paris.
Toughing through rainy conditions on the track at Stade de France, Alfred, 23, crossed the finish line in 10.72 seconds, making her the eighth fastest woman ever in the event. She also spoiled the Olympic debut of Team USA’s Richardson who took home the silver (10.87) while fellow American Melissa Jefferson finished third (10.92) for the bronze.
“You got to be prepared for anything at all,” Alfred said about the conditions on the track. “It didn’t have any effect on me whatsoever.”
“This year I’ve really been trying to focus on my lane and working on execution only — and not thinking about who is next to me,” she added. “Sometimes when I do, I tend to panic.”
There was some drama heading into the final as Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson pulled out of qualifying on Wednesday to focus on the 200m and because of injury. And her teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a late scratch in the semifinal also because of injury and was not replaced.
And for Richardson, the shot at gold and finally making a stellar Olympic was slightly derailed once again. Richardson, 24, has thrived since her ban before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 when she tested positive for THC. The U.S. has not won Olympic gold in the women’s 100m since 1996, a gap further extended by Alfred.
But, if the qualifying rounds were an indicator of Richardson’s tall task in a wide open field without Jackson and Fraser-Pryce on the radar, it was obvious in the semifinal. Richardson was unable to make up a slow start out of the blocks in that round and chased Alfred the entire way down the track in the final.
As for Alfred the reality of her gold medal performance sank in quickly after she crossed the finish line and rang the bell next to the track to signal her victory.
Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip Pierre extended congratulations to her on social media for the historic win, a first for the nation.
“Thank you, Julien Alfred. You gave Saint Lucia it’s first Olympic medal, winning gold in the Women’s 100m final in Paris. You’re a world Champion Juju!”
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