Sprinter Julien Alfred made history for St Lucia by winning the country’s first-ever Olympic medal, securing a gold in the women’s 100m event. Her victory came as a setback for Sha’Carri Richardson, who was making a comeback after facing a suspension due to a positive marijuana test.
The race took place amid rain at the Stade de France, where Alfred, running in lane one, had an exceptional start and maintained her momentum, finishing with a time of 10.72 seconds. She crossed the finish line about three body lengths ahead of Richardson, who completed the race in 10.87 seconds. Melissa Jefferson, Richardson’s training partner, came in third place with a time of 10.92 seconds.
Throughout the week leading up to the race, Richardson had emerged as the favorite, especially after the withdrawal of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from the semifinal. Fraser-Pryce was part of the Jamaican team that had dominated the podium in Tokyo. With her absence, Alfred became the strongest contender against Richardson.
In their semifinal race, Alfred had already beaten Richardson by a margin of 0.05 seconds, indicating the tough competition that awaited in the final. In the gold-medal race, she extended her lead by tripling the gap, securing St Lucia’s historic victory.
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