The new Olympic champion in the women’s 100-meter race for Paris 2024, Julien Alfred, cried and waved to the cheering spectators as she sprinted across the finish line.
The three-time NCAA champion accomplished an incredible feat at the Stade de France, defeating favorite Sha’Carri Richardson to win gold with a performance record of 10.72 seconds and awarding Saint Lucia its first-ever Olympic medal.
When asked who she dedicated her victory to, the athlete answered: “Most importantly, God, my coach, and lastly, my dad, who believed that I could do it… He passed away in 2013, and now he couldn’t get to see me on the biggest stage of my career. But he’ll always be so boastful of his daughter being an Olympian.”
The USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson won silver with a time of 10.87, and Melissa Jefferson earned bronze in 10.92. This is the first time since Atlanta 1996 that American runners have won two medals in the same competition.
On being Saint Lucia’s first Olympic gold medallist
Alfred talked about how she had written down the words ‘Julien Alfred, Olympic champion’ when she woke up the morning of the race. She said: “So I think believing in myself really was important.”
The athlete added: “Growing up, I’ve always said I wanted to be one of Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medallists… First gold medallists at the Olympic Games.”
For her, becoming an Olympic winner is a significant step. Alfred acknowledged that since she was a child, she had dreamed about this moment as a win for her nation and for herself.
On Richardson having regrets
The current world champion Richardson might have some regrets about this outcome in the future. Even while she has recovered admirably in the past, her poor start to races has turned into something of an Achilles heel.
Richardson faltered at the start of the US Olympic trials, but she quickly recovered to win the race in 10.88 seconds.
She lost the gold medal race in the Olympics because of her slower reaction time, which was 0.221 seconds versus Alfred’s 0.144. Alfred was too far along in the race for Richardson to pull off her renowned comebacks by the time she regained her composure.
Although Richardson is still in her early career at the age of 24, the possibility of competing in a home Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 can be something she looks forward to.
Source: Olympics.com