St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred Claims 100m Gold, Defeating Sha’Carri Richardson.
Julien Alfred triumphed over American world champion Sha’Carri Richardson and others to secure the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 100 meters on Saturday night, marking the first-ever Olympic medal for her Caribbean home country of St. Lucia.
Alfred raced down the wet Stade de France track to claim gold in 10.72 seconds. Richardson took silver with a time of 10.87 seconds, while her teammate Melissa Jefferson won bronze with 10.92 seconds.
The 60m world indoor champion had already signaled her intentions by defeating Richardson in the semi-finals just two hours earlier. With this victory, Alfred extended the US women’s 100m title drought to at least the Los Angeles 2028 Games; the last American gold was won by Gail Devers in 1996.
Jamaican gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew minutes before her semi-final, and fellow Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah, the 2016 and 2021 champion, was absent due to injury.
In the final, 35-year-old Ivorian Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith, the only African competitor, finished in eighth place.
